Shortly after 6-year-old Lauren Stanford was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) her family was introduced to an organization that would forever change their life mission and focus.

After shopping at a local Marshalls department store, the cashier asked if Lauren’s mom would give a dollar to help JDRF find a cure for T1D.  Moira McCarthy Stanford immediately replied yes, but her older daughter, Leigh, challenged her to go further. “Mom, don’t you think you should do more than that?” she asked.

Moira agreed, and she, along with Lauren, Leigh, and her husband Sean, formed a team for the JDRF Boston Walk that very afternoon. They canvassed their neighborhood for contributions, and days later they arrived at the event with the $486 they had collected.

As the family walked over the Arthur Fiedler Bridge toward the Hatch Shell, they saw a glimpse of what makes JDRF the leading global organization funding T1D―thousands of people working toward a common goal―a cure for their loved ones, a cure for Lauren.  Moira and her family realized then that they had to be an integral part of JDRF’s mission.  Since then the Stanfords have done everything possible to help JDRF cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications.

The Stanfords’ Walk team, Got Islets, has worked tirelessly since that visit to Marshalls almost 18 years ago. The $486 raised in the first year grew to more than $130,000 in 12 years, making Got Islets a top fundraising Walk team in the nation.

Through the years, the Stanfords commitment grew stronger as did the depth of their involvement. Moira and Sean have chaired the Boston Walk multiple times, and their family has regularly delivered JDRF’s Bags of Hope, which are filled with supplies and education materials, to newly diagnosed families. They’ve attended several Boston Galas and even chaired the event. In 2000, Moira joined the New England Chapter’s Board of Directors, where she served as its advocacy team chair and president.

As chairs of JDRF’s National Government Advocacy and Outreach programs and Speakers Bureau Member, Moira has spoken across the country on behalf of JDRF, and in 2005, the Stanfords became the Chair Family for JDRF’s biennial Children’s Congress. Moira was awarded JDRF’s International Volunteer of the Year in 2007, because of her tireless passion and effort to bring awareness to JDRF and its cause.

In recent years, the Stanfords not only participated in JDRF’s Ride to Cure Diabetes, but also actively recruited new riders. Moira was awarded the Yellow Jersey for top recruiter along with the prestigious Rose Promise Jersey for the most dedicated JDRF rider. Moira recalls her greatest ride experience occurring last summer, when she and Lauren together finished the 100-mile JDRF ride in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Moira’s efforts reach beyond the typical volunteerism one would expect from a family who has a child with T1D. She has used her professional talents as well to help families. Moira authored the best-selling books, The Everything Parents Guide to Diabetes and Raising Teens with Diabetes: A Parents Survival Guide, and she created despitediabetes, a blog dedicated to the challenges of having a child with T1D. She also founded the popular online T1D support group, Project Blue November and is a featured speaker at the annual diabetes conference, Friends for Life.

Moira and Sean’s active engagement and courage to move JDRF forward make them true champions of the T1D community. In all they do, it’s clear the entire Stanford family have an endless dedication to JDRF and to promoting its mission. In recognition of their steadfast commitment and their boundless hours of dedication, we are thrilled to honor Moira and Sean at One Night, the 34th Annual JDRF Boston Gala. 

To make a gift in honor of Moira and Sean and read more of their story, visit http://bit.ly/StanfordsJDRF. To learn more about the JDRF Boston Gala and the various opportunities for support, including tickets and sponsorship, visit https://jdrf-baystate.ejoinme.org/34thbostongala.