The 38^th Annual Nordstrom Beat the Bridge on May 17^th was a big hit! We had runners and walkers in practically every neighborhood and bridge in the area! Even in these uncertain times, everyone made the most of the day, including one of our newest family teams, Team M&M. Check out their story:

Even though Beat the Bridge has been in our lives for a very long time, this is the first year that we decided to create our very own family team to raise money to help JDRF fund life-changing type 1 diabetes research. Two of our family members live with type 1 diabetes—I [Melissa] was diagnosed at age 14 and our son, Maddock, was diagnosed at age 2 in 2013—so we know doubly well that there are no days off from diabetes. Still, we both live every day to its fullest and don’t let it stop us from doing anything we set our sights on. Team M&M is the embodiment of 34 amazing collective years of living with diabetes, and we were so excited to form our team this year and line up at Husky Stadium to conquer that bridge! We were so lucky to have the support of friends, family, and colleagues in our fundraising efforts, and even though we didn’t have the chance to line up together on the starting line this year, we found magic and hope in our virtual Beat the Bridge experience. As we raced through the Leschi woods down to the I-90 bridge in our race numbers and “T1D looks like me!” gear, we gave the occasional shout, “Good morning! We’re running to raise money for type 1 diabetes research and JDRF!” It felt good to spread awareness through our community. As we crossed our (invisible) finish line, Maddock looked up at me and said, “Mom! Next year I’m signing up for the 8K!” Maddock’s spirit amazes me: He never gives up, and he doesn’t let diabetes define or limit him. Thank you, JDRF! Team M&M can’t wait to come back and Beat the Bridge (for real!) next spring.

Do you have photos or videos of what you did to celebrate the 38^th Annual Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to share with us? Send them to beatthebridge@jdrf.org or submit by using this online form.

Reminder: Fundraising goes until June 30^th so head to beatthebridge.org to make a donation today!