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Thirty-year-old Jay Lobley of Pennsylvania loves to write letters. He loves to write letters so much that he has written over 1500 letters to actors, directors, journalists, politicians, and athletes all over the world asking for support for diabetes. He has received responses for a number of people including actors Michael Douglas and Kevin Bacon and muscians Loreena McKennitt and Charlie Daniels. He was also profiled in the Philadelphia Intelligencer and he is good friends with Clare Rosenfeld, ADA's National Youth Advocate 2000, whom he considers to be his super advocate.
CureNow: Why did you want to start the letter-writing campaign? What did you hope to accomplish?
Jay Lobley: I started writing the letters because I felt it was time to do something. Clare Rosenfeld worked on political issues and so it was time I did something. I've been a diabetic since age two and it was time to give a hand. I tried to figure out what to do and one day I was watching a daytime talkshow. I've watched this show many times and I'd hear a lot about breast cancer. Don't get me wrong, I have respect for the work being done but I felt Diabetes deserved the same attention. It was the "Silent" issue.
How many letters have you written since you started?
As of this [survey], I have sent out over 1,565. And still going strong!
Have you received any replies?
I've recieved more responses than I ever thought possible. When I first started out, I never thought I'd get this many responses yet alone get this far in this work.
Do you have a favorite response?
I don't really have a favorite response. They're all just the same in being my favorite. But I'd have to say there are two that stick out a little more. The first came from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He commended me for my work and urged me to continue. He felt with all the Advocacy work being done and all the research being done, we should have a cure in no time. The other came from a young actress out in L.A.. Her name is Lindsay Korman from one of the daytime soaps. She blessed me for thinking of her and told me if I needed a Spokes person out in the L.A. area, she was available. She told me she doesn't travel but she would be an advocate out in L.A.
How long do you plan on doing the letter-writing campaign? At one point, I thought I'd stop at 1,974 if I get that high. That was the year I was diagnosed with Diabetes. I was 2. But knowing me right now, I probably wouldn't stop. I've had moments where I'd stop for a couple of days and I was feeling uneasy. I felt I had to continue. After the 9-11 incident, I felt I had to stop for a while. When the anthrax incidents ocurred, I stopped sending mail and went to sending out emails for a while. I just couldn't stop. What is your goal for the future?
Right now I don't have a goal. I'm just living each day at a time. I really want to see a cure in my lifetime. Technology in helping diabetes has come along way since the days I was a kid living with it. Another reason I want to see a cure is because back in 1998, I was officially diagnosed with epilepsy. When I had an MRI done last year for another problem, they found the reason behind my Epilepsy and found it could not be cured. At least now, I might be free from insulin shots and finger pricks if a cure is found and I can recieve the treatment. Although it might be too late for me since I've lived with it for so long. But if others can be free from what I'm going through, that in itself, would make me happier.
Who is your inspiration?
Right now I'd have to say my real inspiration is Clare Rosenfeld. Here is this 15 year old who's done so much in such a short time at an early age. I was still struggling through school at her age. She's truly incredible and won't stop like the rest of us until that cure is found.