"The Real Moms of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation" are on a Mission for Mother's Day

Moms of Children with Diabetes Tell Their Stories, Ask to Support Research For a Cure

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- They come from New York, Miami, Milwaukee and more. They have children of all ages with type 1 diabetes – and they're on a mission to find a cure. They're "The Real Moms of the DRI Foundation" and in honor of Mother's Day they're asking millions of moms – and others – to support the Diabetes Research Institute, a world leader in cure-focused research.

In a weeklong campaign that kicks off today, almost a dozen moms of children with type 1 diabetes tell their personal stories of how diabetes affects their children's lives – and their lives –  through a series of videos on the Diabetes Research Institute website www.DiabetesResearch.org/RealMoms.

For these moms, real-life drama is more likely to revolve around finger pricks and carb counts rather than fashion faux pas and catty snipes. Moms like Meredith Buchwald of Weston, FL, Real Mom to Lauren, 5, says it's something that the whole family has to deal with 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"It's day to day and so difficult. She just can't go over to a friend's for a play date. It has to be planned," she says. "As a mom, having a child with diabetes is tough because you turn yourself into a pancreas, and I have done that for Lauren."

Danielle Gregory of New York City, Real Mom to Leo, 8, thinks about all the needles and testing and it breaks her heart. "It's my job to protect him. I want to do everything I can to make this go away and I feel like our only hope is a cure," she says. "It would be my dream to see him living in this world without diabetes. It would be the greatest gift – and not just Leo, for all kids."

The other Real Moms echo their sentiments. Life with diabetes is tough and they all want nothing more than to see a cure. That's why they support the Diabetes Research Institute, "because of their 100% dedication into finding a cure, period. Do our children deserve anything less?" emphatically states Barbara Brindisi of Utica, NY, whose son, Louis Thomas, 13, has diabetes.  Like all the Real Moms, she's asking others to join her in supporting the Diabetes Research Institute this Mother's Day. Visitors can send a Mother's Day eCard with their donation, among other ways to support the Institute's life-saving research.

"We are grateful to all of these moms for telling their stories about what it's like to live with diabetes. Many will share a real commonality with them. We hope everyone who views the videos will be educated, inspired and motivated to support the Diabetes Research Institute, whose singular focus is to find a cure," said Robert A. Pearlman, president and CEO of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. "We must continue to move research forward to cure these children and millions of others living with diabetes. The only way we can get there is with continued funding. Everyone can do something to honor their mother this Mother's Day with a gift to the DRI."

For more information about the Diabetes Research Institute, visit www.DiabetesResearch.org or call 1-800-321-3437.

About the Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation

The mission of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation is to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funding necessary to cure diabetes now. The Diabetes Research Institute, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, leads the world in cure-focused research. As the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, the DRI is aggressively working to shrink the timeline toward the discovery of a biological cure for this disease. Having already shown that diabetes can be reversed through islet transplantation, the DRI is building upon these promising outcomes by bridging cell-based therapies with emerging technologies. For the millions of people affected by diabetes, the Diabetes Research Institute is the best hope for a cure.

SOURCE Diabetes Research Institute Foundation