Jack and Arline Strick

Living with Diabetes and Being a Catalyst for the Cure

Everything changed for Jack Strick when he turned 49.

That’s when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He has been living with the disease for almost 28 years. “I lasted 24 years before I had to start insulin, and most people only last 20 years,” said Jack.

“The older you get, the harder it is to get everything under control. The most important thing to me if you have diabetes is to take the right classes and learn to manage the disease. I test four times a day. I hate it, but I have too much to live for—we all do. You really have to be on top of it. Nobody is going to do it for you.

“I have one goal—to see my great-grandchildren,” he said. “Once you focus on a goal like that, it’s easier to take all the necessary steps to manage your diabetes.”

Jack said he is now doing better than ever since he met Dr. Luigi Meneghini and Allison Wick, M.S.N., A.R.N.P., C.D.E., at the Diabetes Research Institute’s Eleanor and Joseph Kosow Diabetes Treatment Center. After participating in a clinical research study, he was so impressed with the care that he became a regular patient.

“Having the right doctor and nurse specialist and going to the right place is very important,” he said. “The DRI is the best.”

One of six siblings, Jack was born and raised in The Cheltenham Township outside Philadelphia, Pa. He began working for the family business, Strick Trailers, after attending Rollins College. He met his wife Arline and settled down to raise their four children in the family-oriented neighborhood until they moved to Florida in 1971.

Now retired, Jack and Arline have been married 51 years and have three grandchildren. They enjoy many activities at home and love to travel.

“I do a lot of walking and take a yoga class,” he said. “We’ve also taken many road trips all through the state of Florida, and we’ve been to most of the museums.”

With all that he’s seen, Jack said one place was life-changing—a behind-the-scenes tour with the scientists in the laboratories of the DRI. “I’ve done a lot of research, and from what I’ve seen, I think they’re probably doing some of the best work in the country,” he said. “I was able to meet the scientists and see firsthand the studies they are working on—it’s just fantastic.”

Jack serves as one of four trustees for his family’s foundation, which was started by his father in 1948. Also serving are his sister, Maida Gordon, and two nephews. Through the family’s generosity, the DRI Foundation has received grants for research equipment, specific research studies, and the Mastering Your Diabetes patient education program at the DRI.

Most recently, Jack made an IRA Charitable Rollover gift to the DRI Foundation. A popular charitable gift planning tool for DRI Foundation donors, the IRA Charitable Rollover gift was among many provisions included in the tax bill that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama on December 17, 2010.

The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 extends the IRA Charitable Rollover until December 31, 2011. Donors who are 70½ and older can transfer up to $100,000 tax-free from their individual retirement account (IRA) in 2011 by making a transfer directly to the DRI Foundation.

Jack said the extension was a personal opportunity to help the Diabetes Research Institute capitalize on promising research avenues to eradicate diabetes. He said that he will also continue annual support of basic and clinical research and patient education through his
family foundation.

“We are grateful to Jack and Arline for the many ways they have helped the DRI aggressively pursue a cure for diabetes,” said Robert A. Pearlman, president and chief executive officer of the DRI Foundation. “Working together, with the ongoing commitment of our generous donors, we will continue leading the international effort on the path of groundbreaking discovery.”

Click here for more information on creating a legacy by providing for the DRI Foundation through your retirement account.

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