By: Duffy C. Weir

A quarter of a century has passed since our family got involved with JDRF. There have been too numerous to count galas, walks, Fund-A Cures, board meetings and activities we have participated in. And, we haven’t given up on finding a cure for T1D.

Twenty-five years ago, freshly minted from the Junior League of Baltimore, I was asked to get involved with this organization. I had no familial connection, only a friend whose daughter was diagnosed at 9 years old. So I joined up as a volunteer in search of “The Cure”.

Because of this friend’s child’s diagnosis, our family has been involved with JDRF for over twenty-five years. From a very young age, my children started volunteering and participating in walks, galas and golf events. In 2010, my husband, Matthew and our son, Ryan climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and raised over $15,000 for JDRF and T1D research. Over time, unfortunately, we saw numerous close friends and neighbors diagnosed with T1D and it deepened our commitment.

In 25 years, much has come to pass and we still haven’t given up hope. This year it is with great pleasure that my husband and I and our son and daughter-in-law (JDRF board member) are chairing Baltimore’s Hope Gala as a team. Our HOPE is to have the Baltimore Gala be a $1million gala for the first time in its’ history! While it seems like a lofty goal, we all know the importance and value the research that JDRF does.

In 2013, my husband and I were honored to take the stage at the Hope Gala. Honored as “Stars of Hope” for our dedication and support over 20+ years to the organization. Little did we know, leading up to that night, our son had not been feeling well. He had an insatiable thirst, frequent trips to the bathroom and felt lethargic. As any normal person would do he made an excuse and justified his symptoms. The lethargy he blamed on long hours at work; the thirst on his frequent consumption of Diet Coke; and the frequent trips to the bathroom on the soda consumption. That vicious cycle lead Ryan on Christmas Eve to call his father, a physician at the University of Maryland, and asked that he have his blood drawn. Christmas Day came with no news on the blood draw. The next day Ryan went into the work, and his first phone call was from my husband. “Ry how are you feeling? I need you to come over to have your labs redone. Your glucose level was 356.” That’s the day his life and ours turned upside down when he, was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 29. After years of volunteering for JDRF, the irony of his illness was stunning to this community and us. As a mother, I wished I could have owned his disease so he could live a long healthy. That’s when his finger pricking began every hour, on the hour. At age 29—a testament to the fact that 50% of diagnoses are in adults and that anyone can get the disease at any point in their lifetime.

As with any recently diagnosed T1 diabetic the questions that don’t have answers flooded our son’s head. “Why me? Why at the age of 29? What did I do wrong? Am I just having a bad dream?”

The past four years have been a blur for Ryan, Alli and our family. Managing this disease is a permanent second job. Daily, he thinks about what he’s doing, what and when he plans to eat, and how he will cover it. Every action matters, but he refuses to let this disease define who he is.

We are thankful that methods of management and control have advanced considerably in the past 25 years, many thanks to JDRF funding. While you still have to prick your finger multiple times a day, there are more choices, in how you manage the disease:  various types and brands of pump technology, more efficient insulins, long-acting insulin, and the promise of an artificial pancreas and encapsulated beta cells—both of which are currently in human trials and will be truly life-altering.

Beyond the research, JDRF has been here to help provide a network for parents and friends to find comfort. The overwhelming support of friends and family that we have met through JDRF over the years has been astounding. New methods of management help, but nothing can compare to those that support someone with T1D. The friends that provide management tips, the parents that wake up every night to check on their son or daughter, the wife that always keeps something sweet in her purse, we thank you!

As a family, we gave support to others and never expected to need the support given back.  We are forever grateful to have this community and JDRF’s research in our corner. Ryan’s wife, Alli, who was his fiancé’ at the time of his diagnosis to this day has dedicated herself to this organization. She said that night in the ICU, “We’ve got this” and sent us parents home for the night.

We hope all of Baltimore looks into their hearts to help fund a cure for all families who live with T1D—from the babies and toddlers whose first words are “pump”, to the teenagers who want to have a normal sleepover at a friend’s house, to the adults who are forced to have a second job managing their health, to the families and friends that support us. Our goal is a $1 million Gala so JDRF can invest in research—making lives stronger, live life longer, and healthier. We hope to see you at the Gala; it will be an engaging event like no other-full of interactive experiences. We will “Rock The Cure” on November 2, hope to see you there!