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Photos: OneTouch(R) Features Five Participants From Global Diabetes Handprint Project in National Awareness and Fundraising Campaign

Posted on: Monday, 16 March 2009, 09:20 CDT

Project Extended Through June 30th; Participation Raises Funds for Diabetes Charities

MILPITAS, Calif., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Brave. Fight. Grandpa. Life. Alive. At first glance, these words may not seem to have anything in common. But for the millions of people with diabetes, they represent the many emotions associated with living with this disease. Beginning today, these five words, and the individuals who wrote them, will be featured in a new national promotional campaign by OneTouch(R), the leading brand of blood glucose monitoring systems for people with diabetes.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/lifescan/37467/

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090316/NY83881)

The five words and people were selected from thousands of submissions to the Global Diabetes Handprint (www.DiabetesHandprint.com), a project that invites people to submit images of their hands decorated with words and graphics depicting their personal experiences with diabetes. For each image submitted, OneTouch will donate $5, up to a maximum of $250,000(1), to diabetes charities.

The featured words represent a range of emotions expressed by people touched by diabetes. Sarah O. (Houston, TX) submitted Grandpa because her grandfather has had diabetes for 20 years, and she admires his strength. Randi T., 10 (West Bloomfield, MI), chose Brave, because she says that getting a poke or a shot teaches others that diabetes isn't so scary. Fabian L. (Pearland, TX), a pharmacy technician, submitted Fight because even though he himself does not have diabetes, he sees people who fight it every day, and he wants to help them win their fight. Andrea R. (Houston, TX), submitted Life because, as a grandmother who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, she wants to make sure she sees her new grandchild grow up and have a healthy life. And Joan P. (Wisconsin Rapids, WI), chose the word Alive, because even though she has diabetes, she feels fortunate to have a wonderful family, and wants to do all she can to be alive.

"We've been moved by the many words and images we received," said Ken El-Sherif, Director of Marketing at LifeScan. "Diabetes affects people and their families in very different ways. This project is a unique and powerful way for people to come together as a community to share their experiences and commitment to living healthy with diabetes."

The national campaign will begin with an ad in the March 23rd issue of People magazine, followed by other national publications, including Time and Real Simple. An online chat with the featured individuals will be held on www.TuDiabetes.com (March 19, at 6 pm EST), where they will share their diabetes experiences and answer questions. The Global Diabetes Handprint was inspired by the Word In Your Hand project, created on TuDiabetes.com, an online community owned and operated by the Diabetes Hands Foundation. It demonstrates the impact of personal expression as well as the strength of people coming together as a community.

The Global Diabetes Handprint has resonated within the diabetes community, inspiring some celebrities with the disease to lend a hand by providing their own words and images. For Elliott Yamin, a finalist on American Idol, the word is Challenging. Olympian Kris Freeman's word is Resilience and Ironman triathlete Jay Hewitt chose Finish Line.

The deadline for submitting words to the Global Diabetes Handprint has been extended through June 30th. OneTouch will donate $5 for every person that participates in the Global Diabetes Handprint project. The funds generated by participation will be donated to the Diabetes Education and Camping Association (DECA) to support children's diabetes camps and to Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) to support adult educational and motivational conferences for people with diabetes, those at risk and their loved ones(2). Participants can designate which organization -- DECA or TCOYD -- will receive the donation associated with their image submission.

To participate in the Global Diabetes Handprint, visit www.DiabetesHandprint.com. Visitors can submit images two ways -- they can upload a digital photograph of their own decorated hand, or they can use a simple online design tool to create a customized word/hand image. As a part of each image posted, participants will also have the opportunity to share their story expressing how diabetes has touched their life. Complete information and rules are available on the Web site.

LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company and a leading maker of blood glucose monitoring systems in the U.S., is dedicated to creating a world without limits for people with diabetes. For healthcare professional resources, and information on diabetes care and LifeScan products and services, visit www.LifeScan.com.

The Diabetes Hands Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on connecting people touched by diabetes (diabetics as well as their loved ones) and raising diabetes awareness. It runs two social networks, TuDiabetes.com (in English) and EsTuDiabetes.com (in Spanish).

Word in Your Hand, TuDiabetes and TuDiabetes.com are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Diabetes Hands Foundation.

(1) Donations are in U.S. dollars.

(2) Both DECA and TCOYD are non-profit 501c3 organizations.

SOURCE LifeScan, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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