An estimated 2,300 people in Hawai'i live with Type I diabetes. And while this figure may represent just 5 percent to 10 percent of the total number of people in Hawai'i with diabetes, it's still plenty for a support network.

That's the logic behind the Type I Diabetes peer support group, a free program where people diagnosed with this form of diabetes can share their not-so-unique fears, concerns and hopes in a supportive environment.

The group meets today and every last Saturday of the month, 9:30 to 11 a.m., at Wist Hall, Room 135, on the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus.

With Type I diabetes, the body's immune system destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Insulin is an essential hormone that allows the body to process sugar. While regular insulin injections help on a day-to-day basis, it is not a cure and it cannot prevent kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, heart attack, stroke and other complications.

While the disease often manifests in childhood, people can develop Type I diabetes at any age. Group co-founder Madeline Harcourt said she was first diagnosed at age 55.

For information about the Type I diabetes peer support group, reach Harcourt at 956-9392 or at harcourt@hawaii.edu.