“This is Allan on his second birthday just months after being diagnosed with diabetes. I really thought at the time that I would never see Allan grow up.” – Pauline Davey (mother)
The Baker IDI Biobank is a powerful weapon in the global fight to combat heart disease, stroke and diabetes. This important facility helps our scientists make discoveries that improve disease detection and treatment - which will protect, save and improve the health of millions of people in Australia and beyond.
Two of the greatest threats to the health of Australians are diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In Australia 1.4 million people have diabetes and another 2 million are either undiagnosed or have ‘pre-diabetes' - a high risk state before developing full blown diabetes. If the risk of developing the disease continues to rise at current rates, 3.5 million Australians will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2025.
We know that 70% of people with diabetes will develop cardiovascular disease. 50,000 lives are lost each year to this disease. Someone, somewhere in Australia dies from heart disease every ten minutes.
“This is Allan with his older sister Bianca on his first day at school. It was heart-wrenching leaving him that day, knowing that I wouldn’t be there to look after him.” – Pauline Davey
How can your donation help?
The Baker ID Biobank is a unique resource of precious biological samples combined with patient data that helps scientists find out more about the genes and biomarkers related to the causes of these diseases.
This important facility is the leading resource in Australia that focuses on cardiovascular disease, with 6,000 samples from those who have suffered heart failure, coronary artery disease, angina and heart attacks.
With the prevalence of diabetes on the rise and the life-threatening complications it brings, we need to advance our research into these progressive illnesses before more lives are lost.
We urgently need to raise $400,000 to grow our Biobank to 10,000 samples and establish the most comprehensive diabetes collection in Australia.
Pauline Davey is a mother who knows first-hand the life-long burden of chronic disease. Her son Allan was only 21 months old when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
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"Living with Allan's diabetes has been so hard. Every day felt like a battle for his survival. No one could have prepared us for this disease. We just had to go through it ourselves.
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One of the worst times I remember was when Allan was 18. He had another hypo and John and I were trying to put honey down his mouth and we just couldn't. He wasn't totally conscious and he was fighting us. The doctor had to rush over and give him an injection with glucose. When Allan came to, he didn't remember it. He never remembers when he's been in a hypo."
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Right now, we are doing everything we can in research to change and improve the outlook for people like Allan. Your gift today towards the Biobank will help us find new and better ways of detecting, preventing and treating diabetes and heart disease - and safeguard future generations from the misery of these diseases.
For Pauline it is clear to her why she continues to support our work.
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"I feel that research is the only way that Allan has a chance of having a normal life. I would love to see him not having to have another blood test or to have another injection and being able to eat what he wants to eat, when he wants to eat. If he could just have a normal life - that would be fantastic." |
We can turn the heartbreak of Pauline's experiences into hope. Our research will lead to discoveries; our discoveries will lead to knowledge and understanding; and understanding will lead us to improved treatments, better management and prevention.
Help us to grow the Baker IDI Biobank into a truly unique and world-leading research weapon against heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Your generosity will help our scientists continue to push boundaries and set new benchmarks in the fight against these insidious diseases.
What can you do?
Donate today. Support our progress. Find answers. Save and improve lives.