Portafina Pushes For More Funding for Diabetes

Pension company, Portafina, have been working tirelessly to help raise awareness of diabetes and funds to support research into treatments.

Diabetes is a chronic illness that is thought to affect over four million people in the UK, and it is a subject that the managing director of Portafina feels passionate about. Mr. Jamie Smith Thompson’s daughter has type one diabetes, so he has seen first-hand how the condition can affect a person’s life. Because of this, he and the staff at Portafina have set up a series of fundraising events to help raise awareness and funds, and are working with JDRF, the world’s leading funder for diabetes research.

There are two main types of diabetes. Type one is the rarer form and is caused by the pancreas not producing any, or little, insulin, creating a lack of it in the body. Type two is where there is insulin present in the body, but it is not being used efficiently. Insulin enables glucose to enter the cells in the body, where it is used for fuel. When glucose cannot enter the cells because of a lack of insulin, or from the body’s problematic use of insulin, it can lead to high glucose levels in the blood that causes more health issues.

The rarest form of diabetes is type one, where onset usually begins in childhood. It is estimated that there are 20,000 children in the UK with the condition, under the age of fifteen. Type two usually begins in adulthood, and treatment for it includes healthy lifestyle choices to do with diet and exercise.

JDRF are confident that new treatments for diabetes show promise, and that with more funding better treatments can be found that will lead to a cure. However, they need more help to make that a reality.

Portafina are a growing company that is using its position in the finance industry to shine a light on the need for more funding into diabetes research. They are continuing with their fundraising campaigns, and staff have just raised over £1000 with their Ride to Cure Diabetes 2018 cycling event. Donations for Portafina’s campaign are still open and can be made via their Just Giving pages.

More help is needed to combat this debilitating illness, so Portafina are now asking for help from internet communities. If you are interested in helping Portafina with their fundraising ideas or are able to support them in other ways, please get in touch via the Portafina Facebook page, or other social media accounts. You can also share their mission on your own social media and help bring more awareness to this worthy cause.

This is an exciting opportunity for businesses and individuals to work together to raise awareness and funds to fight diabetes.

With one in seventeen people in the UK being diagnosed with diabetes, it is a problem that touches us all. You can help make a difference. Join in and do what you can to support Portafina, and together we can make diabetes a disease of the past.

Please don’t hesitate to connect with Portafina via Twitter (@Portafina UK) or via the  Portafina Linked In or Portafina Youtube page.