November

Dr. Frederick Banting,
Nov. 14, 1891 - Feb. 21, 1941

is National Diabetes Awareness Month in Canada.  Mid-month (the 14th) marks the birthday of  Dr.Frederick Banting, the Canadian who, with his colleagues, Dr. John James Rickard Macleod and Dr. Charles Best, is credited as one of the main discoverers of insulin, the substance which, now created artificially, is administered to people with insulin-dependent diabetes in order to keep them alive.

(T1D isn't resolved by diet/exercise.  Insulin can't be taken in pill form (yet).  And no, it doesn't cure the disease.)

My husband, Howard, was diagnosed with T1D (Type One Diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes) at age 7; as my blog followers know, he died of the disease in 2006, just a few months shy of his 54th birthday -- November 29.

I want to mark this month in some way, besides making a simple donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  I've thought about it, but am uncertain how to proceed.  I could donate a percentage of the sale of my work in the 3F Gallery.  This would work well if purchasers were buying out of the kindness of their hearts, and not to get a receipt for tax purposes. And of course, if I send in the donated proceeds, I would get the receipt.  Furthermore, the donation would be to the JDRF here in Canada, whereas the purchaser might prefer it go to a JDRF branch in the US (or wherever).

If they want receipts for their donation, this would be more complicated, and I haven't been in touch with the JDRF about it.  I just want  to do it and have the JDRF reap the benefits.  Sigh.

Perhaps I could provide links to the JDRF in various places.  Then the purchaser could e-mail me with his/her selected item and proof of donation of the deemed percentage of the proceeds.  I would respond with an invoice and all required for the balance of the purchase to go into my PayPal account...and once the payment's made, I'd mail out the item.

Still sounds like a lotta hoops, doesn't it?

Sigh.

Simpler to just suggest that you consider donating to your local JDRF chapter to honour someone you love whose life has been touched by Type 1 Diabetes -- and if you like one of my pieces, buy it anyway.  :-)