Diabetes in the Family Leads to Twins' Mitzvah Fundraising Project

CHAPPAQUA, NY — Twins Sophia and Charlotte Spiegel are spearheading a drive to help diabetic children raise funds for diabetic alert dogs, which can greatly help diabetic children manage their disease. It's a mitzvah project for the 13-year-olds. And it's one that hits close to home.

"As many of you know, our dad was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. But what some of you may not know is that Type 1 Diabetes runs in our family," they wrote on their GoFundMe page. "Our Uncle Mitchell was diagnosed when he was 10 years old. And our cousin Joey was only a baby when he was diagnosed. They call themselves “The Diabetic Club.” And while we all know clubs are fun to be a part of, this one really isn’t."

The Spiegels are raising money for Heads Up Hounds, an organization that rescues dogs from shelters and pounds and trains them as diabetic alert dogs.

The work done by Heads Up Hounds saves the lives of many dogs and lowers the cost of the therapeutic companions.

"Our cousin Joey got his alert dog Mozzy last year," the twins wrote. "Most diabetic alert dogs are very expensive costing families upwards of $20,000. Mozzy has made a big difference in Joey’s life and as our mitzvah project, we wanted to help make it possible for other children to get diabetic alert dogs. These dogs can help make managing diabetes so much easier."

According to the National Institutes of Health, as of 2014, 29.1 million people in the United States, or 9.3 percent of the population, had diabetes. More than 1 in 4 of them didn’t know they had the disease.

There's a big difference between type 1 and type 2, an issue brought to the fore in May when U.S. Budget Director Mick Mulvaney singled out diabetes as a "pre-existing condition" that insurance companies should not have to cover.

“That doesn’t mean we should take care of the person who sits at home, eats poorly and gets diabetes," he said, explaining his notion of a "Jimmy Kimmel test" at a health forum in California.

"I am sure my husband, brother in law, nephew and all of the children suffering with type 1 wished it were a simple lifestyle choice!" said the girls' mom, Allison Spiegel.

Scientists think type 1 diabetes is caused by genes and environmental factors, such as viruses. The long-term survival of those with type 1 diabetes has dramatically improved in the last 30 years. For people born between 1975 and 1980, about 3.5 percent die within 20 years of diagnosis, and 7 percent die within 25 years of diagnosis. These death rates are much lower than those of patients born in the 1950s, but are still significantly increased compared to the general population.

Type 2 diabetes, which is much more common, is caused by several factors, including lifestyle and genes. A person is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if she or he is not physically active and is overweight.

Check out the TwinningMitzvah GoFundMe page.