Alex Williams (AUS-D701) from Australia,  he is 52 years old and is walking his first MdS in the 25th Marathon des Sables. He will turn 53 on the second day of the 2010 event. He will run for JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Reserch Foundation.

 

He is using the opportunity to help the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) raise awareness about Type 1 Diabetes and the devastating affect it can have on the 46 miliion people around the world who suffer with this terrible illness, himself being one of them. He was diagnosed 36 years ago at the age of 17. Since then He have had more than 36,000 injections of insulin in order to stay alive from one day to the next. By raising awareness he hope to show other type 1 diabetics that they can still live a long, healthy and fulfilling life and achieve almost anything they set their mind to.

 

In addition to the shear joy of walking across the desert, something which he learned about when he lived in Saudi Arabia for 5 years, he have 2 other goals he aim to achieve from his efforts across the Sahara in 2010. Those 2 goals are first, to raise awareness and educate the public about the vital difference between type 1 and the more common type 2 diabetes. They are different illnesses that have similar symptoms but entirely different causes. And the second goal is to raise funds for JDRF to help them find a cure for type 1 diabetes.

 

His training blog : click here  .

His Facebook group : click here



If anyone would like to help his cause and make a donation to JDRF to help the 46 million people around the world who suffer type 1 diabetes now, as well as help the next generation of children avoid this terrible illness, they can make a contribution at this web page