Kids document the struggles of diabetes with glass art

A handful of kids with Type 1 diabetes were invited to East Falls Glassworks on Sunday to create glass sculptures that represented their struggles with the disease.

During the class, Matthew Cohn, an international board member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, noted the similarities between glass and people with diabetes.

“Glass is both beautiful and somewhat fragile,” he said. “So I feel like glass symbolizes the somewhat fragile nature of the human body and the struggles that each of those kids and adults go through dealing with diabetes every day.”

The children’s artwork will be presented at the 2013 JDRF Promise Ball on April 27.

Since it was founded in 1970, the JDRF has raised more than $1.7 billion for diabetes research and education. The event, which begins at 5:30 p.m., will be held at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.