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Coach Madden will hold a press conference with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), Senate Finance Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and other Members of Congress who have been leading the effort to renew the Special Diabetes Program this year. He will be joined by his son Joseph, and six year-old grandson Sam, who has type 1 diabetes.
"I want to do my part to ensure that the federal commitment to diabetes research remains strong," said Madden. He continued, "My grandson, Sam, insisted on cutting a family vacation short at Disney World this week just to be here in Washington, D.C. and take a stand with me to help find a cure for diabetes."
The Special Diabetes Program was established by Congress in 1997 and provides funding for type 1 diabetes research and Native American diabetes treatment and prevention programs. The program has delivered real results and has accelerated efforts in the search for better treatments and a cure. The program needs to be renewed this year.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that affects children, adolescents, and adults, in which the immune system attacks cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that enables people to convert food into energy. People with type 1 diabetes are dependent on insulin for the rest of their life. But insulin is not a cure, and people with diabetes are at significant risk for a wide range of serious complications, including heart disease, blindness and kidney disease.
In addition to raising diabetes awareness at Capitol Hill, John Madden also recently launched a fundraising campaign with restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse centered on the Outback Steakhouse Madden Cruiser called Madden Miles. The Madden Cruiser, a 45-foot luxury bus that has become a familiar site along the nation's highways and country roads, carries Madden to NFL games throughout the season. The Outback Steakhouse Madden Miles campaign, which seeks to raise $1 million, will directly benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world's largest charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. For more information please visit: www.outback.com/maddenmiles.
About John Madden:
John Madden, the most honored NFL broadcaster of all time, currently serves as the game analyst for "NBC Sunday Night Football." Madden, who has won an unprecedented 15 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Analyst/Personality has worked for all four major TV networks. Prior to joining the broadcasting ranks, Madden had an outstanding career as head coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders. In 2006, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his distinguished coaching career. He guided the Raiders to an overall record of 103-32-7, leading the team to seven AFC Western Division titles and a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Madden's .750 winning percentage is the best of any head coach in NFL history. Madden's EA Sports video game "Madden NFL Football" is the No. 1 selling sports video game of all-time with more than 60 million copies sold since its release in 1989. Madden is also one of the leading spokesmen in the advertising world, with endorsement relationships including Ace Hardware, Outback Steakhouse, Schering Plough (Tinactin), Verizon Wireless and Sirius Satellite Radio. Madden is the author of several New York Times best-selling books and his most recent work is a children's book titled John Madden's Heroes of Football published by Penguin.
About JDRF
JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 research. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes children and adults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.
Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.4 billion to diabetes research, including more than $100 million last year.
For more information, please visit http://www.jdrf.org/
