Fighting Diabetes

Thu., Oct. 8, 1998

Nicole Johnson’s diabetes once caused temporary blindness, half her hair to fall out and pain so severe she couldn’t walk. As the newly crowned Miss America, Johnson launched a yearlong effort Wednesday to fight the disease. The 24-year-old former Miss Virginia, who was crowned in Atlantic City, N.J., last month, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 19 and has insulin pumped into her body 24 hours a day. Johnson said she will work to increase testing, research and education about diabetes - and especially detection. She said one-third of the 16 million Americans with diabetes don’t know they have it. Lawmakers at her side for the Capitol news conference included Reps. George Nethercutt, R-Wash., and Elizabeth Furse, D-Ore. Furse and Nethercutt each has a child with diabetes and head the bipartisan Congressional Diabetes Caucus.

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Fighting Diabetes

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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