On a smoky Friday night in Humboldt, hundreds of patrons, twenty hardy runners, an organization of tireless volunteers, and one very special doctor convened at the Humboldt Uniplex for the annual 4X4X48 run and Dine and Dash. The charity event raises money for Type 1 Diabetes research through funding agency DRIFCan (Diabetes Research Institute Foundation Canada).
The ultramarathon styled run began 5 years ago when Humboldt father Jason Holtvogt stepped up to attempt the herculean task of running 48 miles in a weekend. His daughter was diagnosed with T1D, and Holtvogt. Inspired by her courage in facing the disease, was determined to help put an end to it.
“Five years ago, I ran this event for the first time,” said Holtvogt, stepping up to the mike a the Dine and Dash, saying the speech was the hardest part of the weekend for him. “While the challenge hasn’t gotten easier, the incredible support from our community has made it more meaningful. What started as a ridiculous idea has grown into a powerful movement.”
A bell installed along the trail, placed by the T1D team is rung each race with the goal of ending Type 1 Diabetes and ultimately smashing the bell so that it’s never run again. That story is part of an upcoming documentary on T1D and the movement to end it. The bell became a recurring theme during the evening.
The dollars raised over the past five years from the run and the dinner have largely gone to fund the work of Dr. James Shapiro, Director of the Clinical Islet Transplant Program and the Living Donor Liver Transplant Program with Alberta Health Services. Taking the team up on a challenge to appear and run in Humboldt if a fundraising threshold was passed, Dr. Shapiro made good on his word and came to Humboldt for this year’s event.
During a speech at the banquet, Dr. Shapiro laid out the remarkable progress he and his team have made in working to conquer the disease.
“There’s far too much diabetes here in this community — far too many people affected,” said Dr. Shapiro, who is also a professor at the University of Alberta. “We need something better than insulin. We need a cure.”
Dr. Shapiro pioneered the world-renowned Edmonton Protocol 25 years ago, in which islet cells from donor pancreases are transplanted into the livers of patients with severe type 1 diabetes.
“The first seven patients were able to stop taking insulin altogether,” he recalled. “That was a monumental breakthrough — proof that a cure might be possible.”
Since then, over 780 such transplants have been performed, dramatically improving the quality of life for patients. However, Dr. Shapiro is quick to note that the protocol isn’t a full cure and comes with the risks associated with immunosuppressive drugs. The next frontier, he emphasized, lies in stem cell therapy — particularly using patients' own blood-derived cells.
“We’re now able to manufacture insulin-producing islet cells from a patient’s own blood,” Shapiro explained. “That’s what gives me hope — that we can create a personalized, rejection-free treatment that finally stops this disease at its root.”
He praised the Humboldt community for its resilience and generosity.
“You’ve not only supported this work financially, but with your spirit. The thousands of blue flags outside this building — each one representing a person in Saskatchewan living with diabetes — are a powerful reminder of why this matters.”
Dr. Shapiro and his team recently published findings in a leading journal on scaling up stem cell-derived islet cell production. Their long-term vision includes automated “orchards” of bioreactors that could serve hundreds of patients with personalized cell lines.
“This bell of diabetes will stop ringing,” Shapiro concluded to a standing ovation. “It will. We just have to keep working together.”
With that, Dr. Shapiro, Jason Holtvogt and twenty runners stepped into the smoky din of the evening, pitting themselves against the trail in a less-than-ideal environment. As the runners navigated the course, back inside the Elgar Peterson Arena, diners enjoyed the gathering and continued entertainment.
At the weekend’s end, Humboldt and Area T1D and the 4X4X48 team reported that this year’s event had raised over $85,000 to add to the over $250,000 raised over the last five years.