For our National Diabetes Awareness Month Story of the Week, we highlight Carissa Trast and her family! Carissa was diagnosed 28 years ago. Even before then, the Trast family has prioritized supporting JDRF and the type one diabetes (T1D) community across our extensive chapter footprint. They have been a massive part of raising funds and building community across the organization.

When Carissa was diagnosed in 1995, T1D was not new to the Trast family.  Carissa’s younger sister, Jeniece, was diagnosed at the age of 5 and their mother, Donna, was diagnosed at the age of 9.  Donna was involved with JDRF (when it was JDF) back in the 1970’s and the entire family started walking in the Hudson Valley in 1987, after Jeniece was diagnosed. In the mid-1990’s, Carissa’s father, Steven, served as Co-President of the Ulster County NY chapter and Carissa’s mother ran parent & family support groups.  Last month, her niece’s team, “Rena Rocks” raised money for the five-borough JDRF One Walk event, after being diagnosed with T1D last year – at the age of 8.

Soon after Carissa moved to New York City, she connected with the local T1D community.  In 2010, Carissa joined the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes Program (and has participated in more than 10 JDRF Ride weekends) and the Young Leadership Committee (YLC). She also ran with Team JDRF for the TCS New York City Marathon. Carissa spent the following years creating the community she had experienced as a child. She found that in the friends she made in YLC and riding hundreds of miles across the country with the Ride program.

For Carissa, the Ride program continues to be an important part of her life. And, her father and brother-in-law (Adam) have both participated in the JDRF Ride as well.  The Ride weekend begins with a dinner the night before Ride day, which includes inspiring presentations and motivates riders and volunteers for the day ahead. The feeling in the room is like nothing else I have experienced. To be in a room filled with people who share a commonality and are cheering each other on, excited to face the physical challenge of a bike ride while raising money for a cure.  Everyone is there to build a better future for those living with T1D.

The importance of support within our community has grown over the years as more people live with T1D.   But with the support of Carissa, her family, and all of you, our volunteers, and donors, we can continue our work in the Greater New York Metro area and beyond. We could not be more grateful for all the work the Trast family has done in the past and will continue to do as we look into the future!