Yum CEO and his wife award $5 million to Kosair Children's Hospital

LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- It is a massive gift to help children in Louisville who are dealing with an incurable disease.

David Novak, the CEO of Yum Brands, and his wife Wendy awarded Kosair Children's Hospital $5 million this morning. It comes from the family's Lift a Life Foundation.

The money will go toward a $12 million plan to create an all-encompassing diabetes care center specializing in the education and treatment of Type 1 diabetes.

Kosair Children's hospital has seen a 20 percent increase in admissions due to juvenile diabetes since 2008.

As Blake Gerstner, a 17-year-old diabetic, explains, "I've never had a place that I could go to that would just specialize on me and my condition, and I think that is an awesome contribution to the community and to diabetics everywhere."

It is a very personal donation for the Novak family. Wendy Novak was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at seven years old.