(Kraay Family Farm)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

a-maze-ing!

Lacombe corn maze celebrates a century since insulin discovery

Jul 26, 2021 | 10:18 AM

The 100th anniversary of a very important Canadian discovery is being celebrated in a very unique way.

The folks at Kraay Family Farm near Lacombe have designed their well-known corn maze this year with an insulin bottle inside a giant maple leaf.

Insulin, used to treat Type One Diabetes (T1D) (and Type Two Diabetes), was of course discovered by Sir Frederick Banting, and colleagues Charles Best and JJR MacLeod, at the University of Toronto in 1921.

The maze design is in partnership with JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), which has been researching T1D for over 50 years.

“We have a very personal connection to this celebration of the discovery of insulin and also to JDRF. Our daughter has Type One Diabetes (T1D) and insulin literally keeps her alive,” says Rachel Kraay, owner.

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“We are very excited to work with JDRF to raise awareness about Type One Diabetes and the need to fund the research needed to make this relentless and horrible disease easier to manage and maybe one day find a cure.”

Prior to the discovery of insulin, T1D meant inevitable death for children. The disease causes the body’s immune system to attack and destroy cells in the pancreas which make insulin critical to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.

Insulin remains the only effective therapy for people with T1D.

This year’s corn maze covers 15 acres of land with five kilometres of trails. Admission to the farm is free in August for anyone with T1D.

More information is at kraayfamilyfarm.com.