I’m fundraising for JDRF because I believe in their vision of a world without type 1 diabetes (T1D).  And here's how I'm doing it!

I am announcing my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail northbound beginning in March.  I’ll be starting from Amicalola State Park and the southern terminus at Springer Mountain in Georgia and hope to summit Mt. Katahdin in Maine before October.  The time is finally right, and I’ll never be healthier or younger.

The heart of my journey’s purpose is to raise money and awareness of type 1 diabetes, specifically the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  Some of you may know of my daughter’s battle with T1D since her age 13.  I also grew up the son of a T1D sufferer.  My father was diagnosed at the age of 2, in 1937.  There was nothing at that time remotely like the medicines and technology of today in support and care for those with T1D.  Mine is a life-long diabetes experience without physically suffering from the disease myself. 

I have vivid memories of family vacations interrupted by ER visits, my mother’s panicked quest for orange juice or sugar packets in restaurants and amusement parks. Dad eventually switched from multiple daily insulin injections to an electronic pump late in life which added greater flexibility and safety to his routine.  We lost him in 2020 after a rewarding and long-loved life.  My daughter is fortunate to have grown to adulthood in a time of great technical advancements in medicine.  We are grateful for her healthy and vibrant life as a daughter, wife, and mother.

With T1D, a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin—a hormone essential to turning food into energy. The daily life of someone with T1D brings a multitude of challenges, including insulin injections that need to be carefully balanced with eating and activity, disruptive glucose monitoring, sleepless nights—and wishing for a tomorrow where this struggle doesn’t exist.

Living with T1D means there are no days off and there is no cure. But there is hope.  Continued advancements in insulin delivery methods, glucose monitoring, even T1D prevention and someday a cure, won't be possible without funding.  If you are at all interested in helping, or know someone who is, please donate and share today!

Your generosity will help JDRF fund life-changing breakthroughs to remove the incredible daily burden of this disease—until it no longer exists.

Follow my A.T. thru-hike progress on Instagram @ron_hikes_the_a.t and Facebook Ron_hikes_the_A.T. and please support this fundraiser by making a donation today.

Thank you!

-Ron