Watch This Video and a Child With Diabetes Gets a Week of Life-Saving Insulin

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- What started a year ago as a creative way to encourage people with diabetes to stay active has grown into a global campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of moderate exercise for people with diabetes and help fund two vital diabetes charities.  

The Big Blue Test, an initiative started by the Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) in 2009, takes place every November 14 during World Diabetes Day. People with diabetes are invited to test their blood sugar, do 14 minutes of activity, test again and share the results. In 2009, more than 2,000 people took the Big Blue Test and saw the impact of exercise on their blood sugar.

Christy Tombalakian, a person with diabetes, took the Big Blue Test and saw her 14 minutes of walking translate into a 20 percent drop in her blood glucose reading. For Christy, the results were evident: "Even something as simple as walking around the block can make a huge difference."

For 2010, the Big Blue Test is even bigger! Together with Roche Diabetes Care, makers of ACCU-CHEK® diabetes products and services, DHF is aiming for a minimum of 100,000 views of its Big Blue Test promotional video. To help the foundation reach this goal, Roche has underwritten the production of the video and will make a donation for every view the video receives up to $75,000. DHF will use the donation to help the Life for a Child program, run by the International Diabetes Federation, and Insulin For Life. These two global, humanitarian organizations provide diabetes medication and supplies to children in the world's poorest countries.

"Every time someone watches this video, it will make a real contribution to someone actually staying alive," said Ron Raab, President of Insulin For Life. He added: "These donations go a long, long way. In places we assist, like Ecuador, less than 50 dollars keeps a person needing insulin alive for an entire year as it covers the transport cost for us to send the donated insulin."

Visit BigBlueTest.org to watch the video (starting Nov. 1) and participate in the event (Nov. 14). The video is available for embedding at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkLHgK94Z0E

About the Big Blue Test team

The 2010 Big Blue Test is organized by the Diabetes Hands Foundation (http://diabeteshf.org), a 501(c)3 non-profit, in conjunction with David Edelman of Diabetes Daily (http://diabetesdaily.com)  and Riva Greenberg of Diabetes Stories (http://diabetesstories.com). The video was directed and edited by Sean Ross (http://ethosphane.com), an LA-based cinematographer with ample television, music video and commercial documentary experience.

About Roche Diabetes Care

Roche Diabetes Care is a pioneer in the development of blood glucose monitoring systems and a global leader for diabetes management systems and services. For more than 30 years, Roche has been committed to helping people with diabetes live lives that are as normal and active as possible and has been helping healthcare professionals manage their patients' condition in an optimal way. Today, the ACCU-CHEK portfolio offers people with diabetes and healthcare professionals innovative products, services and comprehensive solutions for convenient, efficient and effective diabetes management—from blood glucose monitoring through information management to insulin delivery. The ACCU-CHEK brand encompasses blood glucose meters, infusion pumps, lancing and data management systems. For more information, please visit accu-chek.com.

About Life for a Child

The International Diabetes Federation "Life for a Child" Program was established in 2001 with support from the Australian Diabetes Council (previously known as Diabetes Australia - NSW) and HOPE worldwide. It is an innovative and sustainable support program in which individuals, families and organizations contribute monetary or in-kind donations to help children with diabetes in developing countries.

The formula is simple: contributions from donors go to supported diabetes centers enabling them to provide the ongoing clinical care and diabetes education children need to stay alive. The centers provide comprehensive clinical and financial feedback to the Program management team in Sydney.

The Program aims to provide: sufficient insulin and syringes, blood glucose monitoring equipment, appropriate clinical care, hbA1c testing, diabetes education, and technical support for health professional. Some centers need support for all these areas, others need support for only some components. "Life for a Child" is now supporting 4,000 children with diabetes in 26 countries.

About Insulin For Life

Insulin For Life (www.insulinforlife.org) is a not for profit organization that sends donated insulin and supplies that would otherwise be wasted to recognized organizations in many countries in need, occasionally in conjunction with camps for children with diabetes. Its head office is in Australia and there are IFL affiliated centers in Austria, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom and USA. This is an innovative, cost-effective and life-saving humanitarian assistance program... one model "right for the 21st century."

SOURCE Diabetes Hands Foundation