November is national diabetes awareness month, but for those that live with it, every month brings new awareness.

Langford resident Jessica Koch was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 21, about 14 years ago. At the time she had been focusing on a new diet and exercise regime. B次元官网网址淲hen I started losing weight I assumed it was because I was exercising so much,B次元官网网址� she recalled in a recent interview with the Gazette.

She attributed her extreme thirst to that exercise and believed her constant need to urinate was a factor of all the water she was drinking. While all are textbook symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, they can be easy to dismiss and as Koch said, B次元官网网址渋n my head, it all made sense.B次元官网网址�

It wasnB次元官网网址檛 until her sister, whom she was living with at the time, pointed to a diabetic co-worker who had similar symptoms, that Koch started thinking something else might be wrong. B次元官网网址�(But) they initially diagnosed me with Type 2,B次元官网网址� she said, mostly due to her age at the time.

While it was originally referred to as juvenile diabetes, Type 1 has lost the juvenile descriptor, as it wasnB次元官网网址檛 representative of the disease or those burdened with it. However, many individuals are still in the dark about the differences between the two types and how they are treated.

In those with Type 1 diabetes, the bodyB次元官网网址檚 immune system destroys the cells that release insulin, eventually eliminating the bodyB次元官网网址檚 natural production. Without it, cells cannot absorb glucose, which is needed to produce energy, among other things. Type 1 cannot be prevented and those affected are insulin dependant.

In Type 2 diabetes, formerly referred to as adult-onset or non insulin-dependent diabetes, the body is unable to use insulin the right way and as Koch noted, it can be treated with diet, exercise and/or oral medication.

B次元官网网址淚 eventually ended up in the hospital for a proper diagnosis,B次元官网网址� she said, after becoming painfully aware of the differences. B次元官网网址淚 had to sort it out on my own and it was okay at first.B次元官网网址�

But she remembered hitting a wall after a couple years. B次元官网网址淎s an adult, there are some places that are better equipped than others,B次元官网网址� she said. While many programs are geared towards children that present with the disease, she noted, sometimes there are limited supports in place for adults.

Koch moved to Victoria from Calgary when she was 25 to finish her undergraduate degree. B次元官网网址淚 had been Type 1 for three or four years,B次元官网网址� she recalled. But she didnB次元官网网址檛 know many people who had been diagnosed in adulthood.

After corresponding with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation B次元官网网址� now known worldwide simply as JDRF B次元官网网址� she worked for the organization as a summer student and has worked or volunteered with them ever since.

The foundation was started by a group of parents in the U.S. more than 40 years ago and has morphed from being mostly a support system to now also focusing on raising funds to find a cure.

B次元官网网址淭he organization funds really high-level research around the world,B次元官网网址� Koch said, adding some of that work is taking place in B.C. and Canada. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no cure yet, but thereB次元官网网址檚 been huge improvements in treatments.B次元官网网址�

Koch is now manager of fundraising and development for the FoundationB次元官网网址檚 Victoria arm, a position sheB次元官网网址檚 held since August. Before that she was working in downtown Victoria as a family lawyer doing litigation.

In 2015, her son was born and B次元官网网址渋t got to be really tough,B次元官网网址� when she returned to work after maternity leave. B次元官网网址淛ust having an hour or two with him before he went to bed,B次元官网网址� she noted, was especially hard.

When she heard about the position at JDRF coming up, she got excited about the opportunity. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 obviously passionate about it, being Type 1 myself,B次元官网网址� she said, adding the position also allowed her to work from home. B次元官网网址淚t was an easy change to make for me B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檓 able to spend more time with my son.B次元官网网址�

To learn more about the JDRF or their fundraising efforts, go to .

katie@goldstreamgazette.com