Children With Diabetes, Inc. joins Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Franchise

[Jeff]

As you may know, Children with Diabetes is personal for me. My daughter Marissa, now 20 and a junior in nursing school, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 2. When I began Children with Diabetes in 1995, I wanted to share my experiences with other families so that, together, we could all make a difference in the lives of kids with diabetes. This mission remains at the core of Children with Diabetes and is the reason for contacting you with important news.

I want to personally inform you that today, March 28, 2008, Children with Diabetes, Inc., which includes the www.childrenwithdiabetes.com Web site, the Quilt for Life, and the Friends for Life conferences, joined the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies as part of the Diabetes Franchise.

Over the years, our online community and conferences have grown dramatically. To meet the ever-increasing needs of the community we require significantly more resources. By being part of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, CWD will be able to provide even more information and opportunities to help children with diabetes and their families.

You may have questions about how this news affects our relationship, and from my perspective, I see this as an opportunity for our connection to grow even stronger. The Children with Diabetes business will operate independently within the Diabetes Franchise. We will use the added personnel and financial resources from the acquisition to enhance the CWD Web site and e-community, and to notably expand our Friends For Life conferences. As our community grows, so do the opportunities for families to connect.

While we have now teamed up with Johnson & Johnson, our charter as an unbiased, independent voice for the diabetes community remains unchanged. That means we will continue to invite support from, and encourage participation by, ALL companies involved in making a difference in the lives of our families. We will continue to provide state-of-the-art, science-based education and resources to families dealing with type 1 diabetes. As always, our community will continue to participate in our chat rooms, forums, online polls, surveys and conferences.

You may also find comfort in my commitment to continue to serve as President, directing all day-to-day operations, while Laura Billetdeaux will continue to manage our conferences.

To learn more, see:

Open Letter to the CWD Community
http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/OpenLetter.htm

Children with Diabetes Statement of Principles
http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/...Principles.htm

Video Messages
http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/Videos.htm

[staciebco]

Congratulations Jeff! What a wonderful opportunity for you. Blessings to you and yours.

[Ellen]

Congratulations Jeff, the entire Hitchcock family and all the people who make CWD a gift to the world. And congratulations to J & J for having the vision to recognize that CWD is indeed a treasure.

[StillMamamia]

To be honest, my first reaction was ...
but after reading the following I felt reassured...

The Children with Diabetes business will operate independently within the Diabetes Franchise.

While we have now teamed up with Johnson & Johnson, our charter as an unbiased, independent voice for the diabetes community remains unchanged.

Congratulations! May the wings of your vision spread farther and higher each day

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

That is very big news indeed.

Jeff, I see that you wil be having a chat on Sat. Will there be a transcript availiable for anyone who is interested in learning more but might not be free for that hour?

Also, may I ask, in advance, if you could elaborate on the following from the FAQ section:

"As our community grows, so do the opportunities for our advertisers and sponsors to have access to and engagement with an ever-increasing audience. This will take many forms including more conferences in more locations, more advertising opportunities, and greater targeting of audiences and messages for more efficient and effective campaigns." (Emphasis added)

I don't know about other parents, but I think that for me, having this fleshed out a bit would go a long way in assuring me that the fundamental spirit of CWD, as I understand it, remains unchanged.

Thanks in advance and of course, Congratulations!

[Thoover]

Congrats to you Jeff. J & J What a huge company.. I love the videos you put together. Very exciting!!!

[Momof4gr8kids]

Wow, this is HUGE! Congrats to the Hitchcock family, and all of the wonderful people that make CWD possible.

[Jeff]

The goal for CWD has always been to provide education and support for families who have kids with diabetes. Part of that education is learning about new tools to achieve diabetes management objectives. Those tools are made by companies -- glucose meters, continuous sensors, insulin pumps, insulin, etc. While ALWAYS maintaining user privacy, I am hopeful that we will be able to build new features on the web site which will offer these companies a chance to share their new products.

I hope that helps.

Follow up -- there will be a chat transcript posted.

[Thoover]

Jeff,

You are doing a GREAT thing here. You and your family should be very proud people.

[glorijeff]

This is really great news!! I have complete and total faith that the childrenwithdiabetes.com website and all the associated features will continue, but with enhanced capabilities. Thanks, Jeff, for all you have done and will continue to do!! You have helped so many families, you are a true hero in my book.