Ronald Reagan

“ In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh. ”

“ Through the shared dedication of the Federal government and of private organizations and individuals, we can continue to make progress in research and education efforts aimed at controlling and one day curing this disease. The goal of eliminating diabetes as a public health threat is an essential task and a realizable one. ”

“ Diabetes afflicts perhaps one in twenty Americans and is one of the leading causes of death in our Nation. Every year, diabetes takes more than 35,000 lives and contributes to the loss of another 95,000. Diabetes can cause complications such as blindness, heart or kidney disease, strokes, birth defects, and lower life expectancy. ”