Diabetes walk expects to raise $100,000 for research and local programs

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes. While that number may seem large, it’s not nearly as high as the amount of people who are prediabetic: 79 million.

“One in three Americans born today will develop diabetes some time in their lifetime,” said Larissa Roman, the Executive Director for the American Diabetes Association for San Diego.

That’s why the ADA partners with local communities around the country to hold walks that raise awareness about the disease.

At the “Step Out, Walk to Stop Diabetes” at the La Quinta Resort, the cause hit close to home for many.

“Both my mother and sisters are both type 1 diabetic, which means they take insulin. So I’ve grown up my entire life with assisting either my mom or seeing my sister do this and understanding the complications that arise,” said Danyse Jensen, who walked in Saturday’s event for the La Quinta Resort team.

Complications that include heart disease, stroke, blindness and kidney disease. Money raised during the walk will go directly back to the community and those affected by diabetes.

“We invest it in research to have better treatments and hopefully a cure one day. And also to provide local services and programs for people that have diabetes and their loved ones,” Roman said.

According to the National Institutes of Health, doing moderate exercise, like walking just 30 minutes a day, can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.

“A lot of non-profits have walks, but our walk is very significant to us because walking actually helps control high blood-glucose levels,” Roman said.

Event organizers say the total donations will be determined later this week, but they expect the walk to raise more than $100,000.