Sanofi US Will Donate $10,000 to the Diabetes Hands Foundation when 10,000 Viewers Watch Strength in Numbers Documentary

Sanofi US has worked with the award-winning actor Elizabeth Perkins to film and produce Strength in Numbers, a compelling 15-minute documentary about people with diabetes and the relationships that sustain them. The film is part of Sanofi’s Diabetes Co-Stars campaign; its aim is to bring greater awareness to the relationships and support shared between people with diabetes and their loved ones. Strength in Numbers follows the stories of Ms. Perkins and her husband Julio Macat, and two other inspiring pairs who were selected from a casting call for the documentary. In the film, we meet Amanda Bauer and Anne Casey, two best friends who have type 1 diabetes who created a diabetes support group in their community, and Eugenio and Naiomi Rivera, a father and daughter who cheer each other on so that both can better manage their diabetes. Sanofi US has already donated $10,000 to the Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF), a nonprofit organization, for their work on connecting people touched by diabetes. Sanofi US is pledging to donate an additional $10,000 to DHF if 10,000 viewers watch the documentary. To watch the free online film and help the DHF, click here.

The three stories in Strength in Numbers highlight the value of reaching out for help from family and friends. After a private screening of the film, Ms. Perkins, who has been on many TV shows including the ABC show How to Live with Your Parents, and Manny Hernandez, President and Co-Founder of the DHF, gave an interview on the film. Ms. Perkins expressed how diabetes can be an isolating condition to manage, but that after reaching out, she found people who wanted to assist and support her. She hopes that everyone who lives with diabetes has “diabetes co-stars” in their lives and that the film will encourage people to seek out the support they need. Mr. Hernandez also emphasized the importance of making connections, saying that that no one with diabetes should ever feel alone. The goal of DHF is to empower people touched by diabetes so that they can become a force for positive change in themselves and in others. The foundation does this through programs such as social networks tudiabetes.org (in English) and estudiabetes.org (in Spanish) where people with diabetes and their loved ones can meet others. Their goal is to create stronger networks that reach out further into communities with diabetes. Please consider watching Strength in Numbers and sharing it with others to help reach the goal of 10,000 viewers.