Opening Doorz

By A Staff Reporter | Opening Doorz Editorial | November 16, 2016

Fighting Juvenile Diabetes

On the occasion of World Diabetes Day on November 14, KEM Hospital, Parel, in association with D-Juvenate Charitable Trust, organised a Charity event for over 50 children with juvenile diabetes along with their parents and guardians. Standing in the corner, satisfied at the response their work has been receiving, were Dilip and his wife Anjali Kukreja. Their journey which started five years ago is gaining momentum…

Children’s Day celebrated on Monday, at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, had a special meaning and purpose for over 50 children diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes, also known as Type 1 diabetes. This special event was organized jointly by KEM Hospital’s Endocrine and Diabetology Department and D-Juvenate Charitable Trust, A Juvenile Diabetes Trust.

D-Juvenate to the rescue

D-Juvenate is a social community not-for-profit initiative for juvenile diabetes or Type 1 diabetes that affects children. The purpose and mission of this Trust are to spread awareness across India on juvenile diabetes and also give financial assistance to children below the poverty line by way of providing them with insulin and medical kits.

Every child present was given a glucometer with strips and needles. This was followed by a drawing competition and refreshments.

Dr. Tushar Bandgar and Dr. Vyankatesh Shivane from KEM Hospital’s Endocrine and Diabetology Department welcomed the kids and explained to them and their parents the need to monitor blood sugar levels. They were also educated on taking the right dosage of insulin to avoid critical medical emergencies.

Creating awareness of juvenile diabetes

Watching these kids go about their routine, and satisfied that they were indeed making a difference were Dilip Kukreja, an IT professional, and his wife, Anjali, who runs a SOHO business in fabrics. Explaining their involvement with Juvenile Diabetes, Dilip says, “For the past five years we have been working with Schools and Hospitals to spread awareness and provide aid to the needy. We have strong associations with the Juvenile Diabetes Ward of Jehangir Hospital, Pune, KEM Hospital, and Wadia Hospital in Mumbai. We are also ably supported by the Rotary Club of Pune Airport, in this endeavour of ours.”

Throwing light on how, in the past, the Kukrejas’ have worked in creating awareness, Dilip reveals, “We have had similar events on World Diabetes Day at Jehangir Hospital, Pune, where over 40 registered juvenile diabetic children had a day of fun and entertainment. In Pune, our Trust has covered over 40 Schools, touching the lives of over 400 teachers and impacting the lives of over 40,000 children, creating awareness and also saving lives.”

The Kukrejas have a story and a personal reason close to their heart behind this involvement of theirs in this cause. And when they tell their story, it’s simple, without any frills, and the events that followed have only been guided by this basic human desire to reach out to others—apart from creating awareness. “The expense per month can touch up to Rs 2000. That’s the minimum cost of ‘staying alive’,” reveals Dilip.

Curing the ignorance of juvenile diabetes

Almost 6 years back, on March 31, 2010, their world was turned upside down by an event in their family related to Juvenile Diabetes. That’s when they realized that “ignorance of juvenile diabetes” could have proved fatal. “What we realized then is that although clear symptoms of the condition were visible, our lack of knowledge and awareness on juvenile diabetes proved nearly fatal and world-shattering for us,” says Dilip.

“This was the key reason for building the Charitable Trust—to spread awareness and save a life. It is estimated that there are over 75,000 new cases of juvenile diabetes in India, 10 percent of these cases are known exactly as we came to know, in the condition called Diabetic ketoacidosis, of which 10 percent result in fatality. By just spreading awareness we could potentially save 5000-plus lives a year.”

They believe in taking one step at a time and are overwhelmed by the support they have been receiving over these past five years. As they continue to make an impact on kids, they are sure many like-minded people will join them in their journey.

They want to make a difference, they want to save lives.

For more information on D-Juvenate Charitable Trust, log on to www.djuvenate.org

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