Chase Pelletier is 16-years old and already he’s a nationally ranked go-kart racer and a first degree black belt in karate, but his real passion is to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.
“We’re very, very proud of him in the way that he’s taking on this challenge,” said Chase’s father Dave Pelletier. “It actually fuels him more, the more he reaches out helps other people.”
Chase’s message for those diagnosed with diabetes to continue achieving their goals is a large part of his advocacy.
“I think he inspires them all to let them know that they really can continue to achieve what their life goals are even though they do have a type 1 diabetes,” said Shelagh Barry, JDRF regional manager.
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To date, more than 300 thousand Canadians are living with type 1 diabetes.
“JDRF is the leading fundraiser for type 1 diabetes worldwide,” said Barry. “We have a very focused mission and that is to cure diabetes and its complications through the support of research.”
To help with that support, Chase, his dad and the Academy of Martial Arts in Brampton have come up with a unique event taking place this Saturday called Karate Chops Diabetes.
“We’re going to be doing karate non-stop for 12 hours,” said Chase. “And part way through the day we are also doing a world record for the world’s largest kata.”
Chase has been involved in karate for the majority of his life and he gives it credit for helping him to take on diabetes.
“Not only is it good for me physically to stay healthy and active, but also it gives me the confidence that I can take on a big challenge such as diabetes.”
Chase hopes to raise a quarter of a million dollars with his Karate Chops Diabetes event and all of those proceeds will go to JDRF.
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