Organizations help families live with type 1 diabetes

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- A couple of local organizations teamed up Sunday at Santa Barbara City College to help families with type 1 diabetes. Those families received helpful tips, tools and instructions on how to help their loved ones live with and manage their diabetes.

The non-profit JDRF, also known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, has a branch that serves Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. They hosted Sunday's event with Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, a local diabetes research, education and care center.

Daren Dickerson, JDRF's Santa Barbara board president, said to those diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, "First they should know it's not their fault. It's not because of something they ate. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It's genetic. And you can be diagnosed at any age."

During the event, Dickerson said about 175 people signed up for workshops, breakout groups and panel discussions about how to live with and better manage someone's type 1 diabetes. Participants learned how to deal with the stress of type 1 diabetes, what to expect in the first two years of diagnosis and how to live with type 1 diabetes in school.

For more information about how to live with and manage your type 1 diabetes, you can visit either organizations' website, JDRF or Sansum Diabetes Research Institute.