A world without T1D is a world stripped of the fear and stress that we experience living with this disease every moment of every day. My 14 year old daughter and I both suffer from T1D which steals away so much of our time and energy and undermines even the most joyful experiences due to the underlying, sometimes unconscious fear that comes with being out of control of your own body. The diligence required to maintain our health is time-consuming and exhausting, and even though we do our best, neither of us can keep our blood sugars within a healthy range for any extended period of time.

Having said all of that, we have been forced to realize how strong we actually are and we have a bond that is unbreakable. Delilah described it in an essay: “It’s like my mom and I are in a three-legged race. We stick together and help each other but it is not smooth or easy.” We are lucky to have each other, a supportive family, and the JDRF. We have found such strength in the connections we have made through JDRF and the research money we have been helping raise over the past 9 years has made a significant difference in our experience with T1D. For example, last month Delilah went to London with he father for a few days, and as I held down the fort here in Greenwich, I was able to see her blood sugars in real time on my phone. This Continuous Glucose Monitoring technology was made possible by contributions to research by JDRF. We have so much hope for better management and yes, a cure. We are grateful to all of you who so loyally support CATWALK every year and we look forward to another wonderful day of helping turn type 1 into type NONE!

If you are interested in attending or supporting Catwalk 7, please click here or contact Laila Tai at (914)686-7700 or ltai@jdrf.org.