Welcome to our 2018 JDRF One Walk Team Spotlights, a series dedicated to celebrating the most important part of JDRF One Walk – YOU! Registration for One Walk Philadelphia is open, and there’s plenty of time to assemble your team and fundraise. All the hard work culminates in a day of fun at the Philadelphia Art Museum on Sunday, October 28.

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I hope this will be the start of an annual tradition to honor our beloved friend.

Kate Fox is the Captain of Forever Young, a first-year One Walk Philadelphia team honoring the life and legacy of Michael Young. Read below to find out why this group of childhood friends decided to join our type 1 diabetes community at next month’s event.

Tell us a about your T1D connection.

Forever Young is a team walking in honor of our dear friend, Michael Young. Mike was diagnosed with T1D in 2001, when we were all in sixth grade. As his friends and support system, we’ve seen how difficult this disease can be to manage and maintain a healthy, happy lifestyle.

Why did you decide to get involved with JDRF and the Philadelphia Walk? How did the Forever Young team start?

This is Forever Young’s first year walking with JDRF. Our dear friend Mike passed away in September 2017 from an unexpected heart attack at the very young age of 28. Mike was an incredibly spirited, intelligent, and thoughtful young man. He was the best dance partner and always knew how to crack a joke and make us laugh hysterically. Mike had a great love of music; his music library was incredibly extensive and put all of us to shame. He particularly loved the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac.

Forever Young would like to honor Mike’s legacy in a meaningful way that would make him proud. We walk in Mike’s honor to support a cause that was significant to him.

How do you fundraise for the Philadelphia Walk?

Forever Young is accepting donations from friends and family members. Mike had an expansive friend group, and we hope that in his memory, we can raise a few bucks for an esteemed cause.

It is very hard for us to put Mike’s character into words, which can feel so confining. We hope that our presence at One Walk Philadelphia this October will honor and support Mike’s spirit.

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Creating a memorial One Walk team allows friends and family to honor someone’s life with a gift—whether that’s the gift of community, awareness or a donation. Not only will you celebrate a life touched by T1D, you’ll support research to make living with this disease safer and healthier—until it no longer exists.

Visit walk.jdrf.org/philadelphia to start a team. For more information about the JDRF One Walk program, or to find a Walk location near you, please visit walk.jdrf.org.