Welcome to Matt's Diabetes PrOmise!
"To the world, you may be just somebody, but to somebody you just might be the WORLD!"
Welcome to Matt's Diabetes PrOmise!
"To the world, you may be just somebody, but to somebody you just might be the WORLD!"
The Diabetes Advocacy Journey
Matt's Story
Began on July 6, 1993, the day he was diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) also known as Type 1 diabetes. He was six-weeks from turning six-years old and so excited to start kindergarten.
He was our first-born, full-of-life son, and an enthusiastic athlete from an early age. He loved all sports playing T-ball; YMCA soccer; YMCA, school, and traveling basketball; however his first love was football beginning with flag football through the parks and rec department to tackle through the Youth Sports Foundation, middle school football and finishing his junior year at Muscatine High School. Continuous physical activity and managing diabetes were always a challenge although Matt would never let these slow him down. His daily motto was, "Never settle for less than your best."
From 1993 to 2004, Matt participated in numerous research studies at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics Pediatric Endocrinology Department and he always stated, "Mom, I need to help them find a cure."
The Promise
Through Kim's steadfast passion and leadership, the diabetes advocacy journey became more focused through our family's tragedy on December 1, 2004 in losing Matt to diabetes complications at 17-years old. The promise will always be a beacon of hope in helping prevent diabetes and improve outcomes. We invite you to join us on the advocacy journey and support people living with diabetes!
Our early diabetes awareness partnership began with the collaboration with a local running club to form the Watermelon Stampede Against Diabetes (2005-2008) as a local event to bring awareness and fundraising. With the increasing diabetes awareness in the Quad Cities area growing, our relationship with JDRF Eastern Iowa Chapter formalized into Muscatine hosting seven (7) Walk to Cure Diabetes events from (2009-2015). Throughout 2005-2015, over $500,000 was raised for JDRF diabetes research that benefited many individuals living with diabetes.
In 2016, the charitable nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization was organized in the Muscatine County, Iowa area implementing many outreach, education and fundraising activities. Matt's mom, Kim, is the President and Co-Founder and has a career profile of over 30+ years in business, higher education and nonprofit sectors; and is also a certified PreventT2 Lifestyle Coach and a Diabetes Paraprofessional 1. We also want to mention that she was inducted into the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2021 for her tireless efforts in diabetes awareness along with the 2019 Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GMCCI) Volunteer award.
The Numbers
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes
1.84 million Americans impacted!
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food.
T1D can affect youth and adults.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes
35.5 million Americans impacted!
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder in which the body still produces insulin but becomes insulin resistant.
T2D can affect youth and adults.
