We lost an icon this week in Alan Thicke.

He's the North American country actor best known for playing iconic Idiot box dad Dr. Jason Seaver along the '80s sitcom "Development Pains." And hearing of his Death seems like a poke to the gut for an entire generation (myself enclosed) who grew heavenward observance his congenial humor. Like many, I flavor care I knew him supported his incredibly relatable public persona.

At age 69, Alan Thicke suffered a heart attack and died suddenly on Tuesday of this workweek.

Not single was He a star on the acting shot and in the hockey world, acknowledged his love for the lark, but he as wel shined in the Diabetes Community. Alan's oldest son Brennan was diagnosed with type 1 at age 4 back in the late '70s, and immediately 37 years ulterior, that diabetes diagnosis has been a huge part of the Thicke family's life playscript. (Yes, one of his other sons is pop star Turdus migratorius Thicke.)

Over the geezerhood, Alan became a veteran on the diabetes advocacy electric circuit, in particular on diabetes cure research. We enjoyed reading most his efforts — including a bang-up interview away our friends at Insulin Carry Amelia Moore Nation, and this more recent gossip with Brennan's mom and Alan's ex-wife Gloria Loring over at Glu. We retrieve him fondly from the primal days of the Diabetes Hero Squad, where he played "the Commissioner of Diabetes" to help raise awareness with (of course) humour.

Atomic number 2 also appeared in TV commercials for diabetes supplies, and in recent years it was great to see photos of him supporting new diabetes research awareness efforts, like wearing one of the cool The Human Trial shirts promoting that D-enquiry documentary project.

Following Alan's decease this week, the JDRF issued a statement honoring his legacy, and saying the thespian and D-Dad "never lost survey of his crusade for a cure."

Aboard countless hours dedicated to volunteering and fostering awareness on the T1D causal agency, and every last the dollars donated and raised, the Thicke Phratr was also instrumental in helping JDRF establish Canada-based chapters in Ottawa and Calgary, as well equally helping the City of the Angels chapter grow.

In 1989, he founded the nonprofit Alan Thicke Centre (ATC) for Juvenile Diabetes Research in his home country of Canada, and purposefully stage set that in Greater London — the very place of birth of insulin, where Dr. Frederick F. G. Banting came risen with the idea vertebral column in 1921, and where the F. G. Banting House is located.

As the system's website describes it, the Alan Thicke Centre is "really a virtual Centre (without walls), consisting of a mass of holy, gifted and creative scientists" from several Canadian facilities — the Lawson Wellness Research Constitute, St. Joseph's Healthcare in London, The University of Western Ontario, Robarts Explore Institute and the London Wellness Sciences Centre. The administration is coupled to Alan Thicke's alma mater, the University of Western Ontario.

We reached out to ATC President (also a D-Dad himself) Apostle Paul Beamish, whose 5-twelvemonth-old girl was diagnosed in 1987, and he joined the newly-formed ATC three years later.

"All of us connected the Alan Thicke Midpoint Board are deeply saddened by Alan's untimely death. Alan was a great advocate towards determination a cure for diabetes. Alan regularly made himself easy to babble out almost diabetes, also assisting with a wad of fund nurture for over one-half his life. The ATC Board will be confluence soon to discuss next stairs," Cheerful told us.

We certainly hope the work that Alan Thicke was so passionate most will continue through his org, which we empathise is beautiful influential and has garnered national and worldwide attention terminated the years. Research focusing on regenerating insulin-producing beta cells within the islets that have benefited from the group's financial backin include:

  • Using marrow -derived stem cells to enhance the body's power to reformed the endocrine pancreas after wrong, such American Samoa enhancing the power to replicate the existing islet cells, and to protect those islets from further terms.
  • Examining a small subset of progenitor beta cells that can change identity, learning how these cells are different from regular beta cells, you bet they are activated after diabetes presence.

The governing body's knowledge domain advisor, Dr. David Hill, wrote to USA in an electronic mail instruction: "The Alan Thicke Foundation has been helpful in helping to found novel ideas in diabetes research that would have been deemed too high a risk for investment by (Canadian) Federal or Provincial enquiry agencies."

"For my own laboratory, this enabled us to enquire and characterize the presence and potential of resident stem-like cells inside the pancreas, and their potential for reversing diabetes, at a fourth dimension when knowledge base dogma was firmly against the existence of much cells. A serial of papers has helped open this area of research to others globally, and the findings have subsequently been reviewed inside an clause by others published in the top scientific journal, Nature. This would never have happened without the support of Alan Thicke."

Our hearts are heavy, but we apprize all that Alan did in the name of diabetes over the years.

He may be lost now, but we'atomic number 75 confident that the world — and our D-Residential area — will continue "communion the laughter and love" in his name going forward.

RIP, Alan Thicke.