I'm so thankful to be selected as a Youth Ambassador for the 2023 JDRF Gala!  This will be my first Gala that my parents let me attend, and I couldn't be more excited.  I’m fundraising for JDRF because I believe in their vision of a world without type 1 diabetes (T1D).

I was diagnosed with T1D when I was 4 1/2 years old.  For the first month, my parents poked my finger about ten times every day so they could check my blood sugar.  At night they woke me up every 2 - 3 hours to poke my finger and make sure my blood sugar wasn't too high or too low.

We have been blessed with great technology that allows my parents to track my blood sugar, and help me better manage my diabetes.  Poor management can have long-term implications.  My parents keep telling me some very smart scientists are working on a cure, and that by the time I'm their age I won't have diabetes. 

ABOUT TYPE ONE DIABETES

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.  Several companies are close to either creating a cure, offering better technology to combat our highs and lows, or allow other kids to delay the onset of T1D for several years.

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

Please support my fundraiser by making a donation today.

Thank you!

Simon