Charities, Healthcare and Gaming – Oh My! (Real Chemistry)
JDRF is the world’s leading funder of type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, which affects millions in the USA alone. On today’s episode, we meet with Josh Larson and Dan Connors, some of the founders and leaders of Game2Give, JDRF’s charity streaming program that has raised thousands in the search of a cure for T1D. If you’ve ever wondered how gaming for good comes to life, this is the episode for you.
Meet Dennis: A Hot Sauce Superhero Gaming for a Cause
Twitch streamer DennisLA1219 is not afraid to suffer a little when it’s for a good cause. Every time he does a Breakthrough T1D Play charity stream, out comes the hot sauce. He also does a mean Morgan Freeman impression. And sometimes, he combines the two.
Video Game Tycoon Turns Nostalgia into an Enterprise
Limited Run Games co-founder Josh Fairhurst was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. “We had orange and lemon trees in our backyard and when I was five years old, I would gather the lemons and oranges and sell them door-to-door to my neighbors for 25 cents,” Josh recalled. His type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis at age 15 didn’t deter his drive. He was using an insulin pump by age 16 and has been able to keep his T1D well-controlled. The only exception? Nerves before important business meetings or presentations tend to cause his blood sugar to drop.
Livestreaming for a Cure
The name Jambo might not be familiar to you, but to more than 22,000 Twitch users and 38,000 Twitter followers, she’s a gaming influencer. Streaming started as a hobby for Jambo back in 2017, but it quickly developed into a full-fledged career. She’s fueled by two things: “Pizza and a desire to help leave the world a better place.” Jambo was aware of Breakthrough T1D after her type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis in her early 20s, but it wasn’t until learning about the Breakthrough T1D Play initiative that she became directly involved with the organization. “It’s an absolute honor to work directly alongside so many incredible folks who want to help make the world a bit easier for those who deal with T1D,” she said.
An Enemy You Can Beat: T1D in Video Games
So far, 2022 has been an amazing year for type 1 diabetes (T1D) representation in pop culture. First, two characters wearing diabetes equipment appeared in the Pixar movie Turning Red. Then, players of Animal Crossing™: New Horizons got to visit Omnipod Bay, a diabetes-themed island created by Insulet with help from Breakthrough T1D.
This Animal Crossing: New Horizons Island Exists To Raise Diabetes Awareness (NintendoLife)
Over 1 in 10 Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to a 2019 report from the CDC — which includes Type 1, caused by your own body attacking itself; Type 2, which can be prevented or delayed with lifestyle changes; and gestational diabetes, which develops in pregnant women and usually goes away after the baby is born.