INTERNATIONAL DIABETES FEDERATION and DESERT DINGO RACING HOST DIABETES AWARENESS EVENT ON FISHERMAN’S WHARF

June 8 event will promote the theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day campaign and showcase Desert Dingo Racing’s ‘World Diabetes Day” Baja 1000 race VW

SAN FRANCISCO, June 1, 2008 – The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), its World Diabetes Day official partners and Desert Dingo Racing will co-sponsor a public event at The Cannery on Fisherman’s Wharf on Sunday, June 8 to promote diabetes awareness and education.

The Federation will be distributing World Diabetes Day (WDD) material to draw attention to diabetes in children and inform people of the warning signs of diabetes. Desert Dingo Racing will have its 1969 VW Beetle (the World Diabetes Day car), which raced the 2007 Baja 1000, and team drivers will be on hand to sign hero cards, which also have the warning signs of diabetes printed on them.

“Few people realize that diabetes can affect children, even toddlers and babies. Parents and teachers need to know the warning signs of type 1 diabetes so that they can react quickly if diabetes is suspected. All too often diabetes in a child is diagnosed late or misdiagnosed completely with serious consequences for the child. ,” said Phil Riley, the World Diabetes Day Campaign Director, IDF. “Many children with diabetes in the developing world do not have access to the medication and monitoring equipment they need to survive and combat the complications of diabetes. The International Diabetes Federation wants to establish the message that no child should die of diabetes and attract support for its Life for a Child Program, which takes care of the immediate needs of around a 1000 children who might otherwise die. We need help to extend this program to support more children.”

The event coincides with the American Diabetes Association’s 68th Scientific Sessions at Moscone Center, which attracts more than 13,000 top scientists, physicians and other health care professionals from around the world will share cutting-edge research, treatment recommendations and advances toward a cure for diabetes.

IDF will show excerpts from the new documentary “Life for a Child”, which follows the journeys of children with type 1 diabetes on the IDF Life for a Child Program amid the verdant mountains and swarming streets of Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries. The film premiered to rave reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City in May.

Desert Dingo Racing, the official World Diabetes Day car – is a 1969 VW Beetle which competes in the Baja 1000 – a race which coincides with World Diabetes Day on November 14. The team did a drive-a-thon fundraiser in 2007 for diabetes research and education and will race the 2008 Baja 1000 and raise money for the IDF’s Life for a Child Program. The team was featured on NBC Sports’ coverage of the race and the car appeared in a VW commercial.

“Two members of our team live with type 2 diabetes and several other members have a history of the disease in our families,” said team co-founder Jim Graham. “We approach Baja racing as an opportunity to spread the word about getting kids checked for diabetes and to live a healthy lifestyle.”


Multimedia links

International Diabetes Federation
Website: http://www.idf.org
IDF logo: http://tinyurl.com/4efr2q
World Diabetes Day website: http://www.worlddiabetesday.org
World Diabetes Day logo: http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/materials/the-logo
World Diabetes Day poster: http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/materials/campaign-posters-0
Life for a Child website: http://www.lifeforachild.org
Life for a Child film website: http://tinyurl.com/5jkrd4
Video clips from the film: http://tinyurl.com/6kooth
For more info, contact Kerrita McClaughlyn at media@idf.org or at +1 917 566 8261 (US)/ +32 487 530 625 (global)

Desert Dingo Racing
Website: http://www.desertdingo.com
DDR logo: http://tinyurl.com/5s6vb7
Race car hi-res image: http://tinyurl.com/5curb3 (4.1 meg JPEG)
Race car Web optimized image: http://tinyurl.com/6fhuqq
dLife TV video feature on DDR at the Baja 1000: http://tinyurl.com/26pwuc
For more info, contact Jim Graham at jim@desertdingo.com, 831.234.4337 or AIM/Yahoo/Skype/Gtalk: jgprdotcom .