Brenda Novak’s 5-year old son Thad was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. “I was heartbroken,”She says. “We’ve become numb to diabetes, but when it happens to someone you love you realize how dangerous it truly is.”
The number of diabetes-related deaths has increased by more than 40% in the past decade — nearly 26 million Americans. Diabetes claims the lives of three Americans every minute, more than AIDS or breast cancer.
Novak, a best-selling romantic suspense novelist and Novak created an annual Online Auction for Diabetes Research in order to raise funds for a cure. In memory of a mother’s unwavering support
In love with her son, each May sees the end of a month-long auction. www.BrendaNovak.comTo coincide with Mother’s Day. The auction raised $303,000 last year for diabetes research. This brings their total of six years to more than $1 million.
This 7th annual event benefits the Diabetes Research Institute, which is the world’s leading center dedicated to Novak’s quest for a cure. The DRI has made important progress towards a cure for all patients, children and adults. They have pioneered cell-based therapies as well as other technologies to restore insulin production in diabetics.
“We need to dedicate time and attention to this problem on a massive scale,”Novak agrees. Novak believes that the Institute is the best place to make the money after touring it. “Going to the DRI enabled me to assure my son that we will see a cure some day — and made me confident that it will be some day soon.”
Participants in the auction can show support for diabetes treatment and receive a Mother’s Day gift. The most sought-after items at this year’s auction include jewelry, eReaders and iPads. You can spend as much as you want on splurge-worthy items, such as an African safari, other trips, and hotel stays, or an $8,500 ring like the one Prince William gave Kate Middleton.
Literary enthusiasts will love bidding on lunches with well-known authors Diana Gabaldon or Steve Berry, as well as a stay at Nora Roberts’ romantic inn.
“I always hoped we’d be able to be successful, but never in my wildest dreams would I have anticipated the steady outpouring of support we’ve received each year,”Novak. “It’s given me great hope in humanity.”
