Posted by Dennis on September 23, 2002 at 13:04:56:
In Reply to: Re: ADA - : The fleecing of the sick posted by Kristy on September 20, 2002 at 15:15:48:
Kristy,
Please don't misconstrue my feeling that the ADA does not allocate enough of its large budget towards research for a cure as negativity or not supporting you or your son's wonderful efforts.
This being a cure site, I never intended a post using your son's fundraiser as an example in my opinion to be viewed by you or your son as any kind of personal attack against your efforts. It's not you or your son that I have an issue with, my point is that the ADA, in my opinion, does not allocate enough of its budget towards cure research.
Before you call me names, you should know that I want nothing but the best for all families that suffer from this disease. By that I mean I want a cure. I don't mean at all costs, just that I think most of the money raised by our struggling group should be spent on finding an end to this disease. We have gone too long without curing this problem. How to use the limited funds available is a difficult decision, and you can't put a price on the value of a friendship, or even just one thing you learn that can reduce the incidence of complications. I stil think camps are important, but practically everything I see from the ADA since I learned how terribly underfunded their cure programs are strikes me as wrong. I think part of the reason the ADA can spend so much on non cure expenditures is because this is a disease that you could spend a lifetime learning how to live with it or make it less miserable for the patient and family invilved. My advocacy for a cure is not intended to deny your pain or need of comfort from the day to day struggle the disease entails. Believe me I'm right there with you as my entire family feels the pain of this condition daily.
It has been just over a year since my daughter was diagnosed with this disease, and from day one I have had this feeling that not enough is being done to cure the disease. I see so many fundraisers form the ADA, but when I learned how they just don't seem to fund crucial cure research, the fundraisers they do strike me as just drawing money from sincere kids and families with the disease in a way that kind of mkaes them think they are contributing to a cure but instead goes to supporting the mentality that we must only learn to live with it, treat it, get on the right diet, go to the right camp - which by the way does nothing for the kids all over the world that have no hope to get to a camp or live too far away from one.
Personally, Kristy, God Bless You, and please don't be offended by my opinion. I feel for you, as I know the pain of having a child with diabetes. Don't let my philosophy about the budget policies of the ADA make me your enemy.
Well with that said, I hope we all see a cure to this disease in a very short time.