Jordana, a JDRF Outreach Volunteer and mom to son with T1D, sat down with this year’s One Walk Ambassador Agatha Siegel. During their conversation, Agatha shared her motivation, her sons’ T1D diagnosis stories and more.

Warmth. Strength. Inspiration.

A tranquil feeling of comfort and kindness greets you when Agatha smiles. Agatha’s gentle affection radiates from within, the moment you meet her. Agatha brightens even more as she starts to talk about her family and the meaningful partnership she has created with JDRF.

Agatha’s four sons range in age from 6 to 14, including her 12-year-old twins. Two of her four boys have type 1 diabetes (T1D), so Agatha knew early on that T1D would be a driving force in her family’s life.

We all remember our children’s diagnosis story. Imagine this: 32 weeks pregnant with twins, Agatha, her husband, and her father-in-law rushed Jackson, their 16-month-old son to the ER to learn he had T1D. Six weeks later, she and her husband welcomed Alec and Bennett into their family. Now, Agatha had a newly diagnosed young child with T1D and two newborns. To say it was hectic does not capture the intensity of those early years. They were living in a small apartment in New York City, managing what seemed to be an insurmountable amount of stress.

But getting to know Agatha, you can see that if anyone could handle these challenges, it would be her. Agatha’s determination to respect the severity of a T1D diagnosis – without letting it derail and dominate her family – would become a guiding force within her busy life. These challenges would strengthen her and prepare her for Alec’s T1D diagnosis, six years later. It was at this time that Agatha and her husband would also welcome their fourth son, Owen.

Early on, Agatha knew she needed something to combat the weariness and unending cycle of T1D, something to help her feel she was moving in a positive direction with her children’s chronic condition. Exhausted by the unpredictability of two young children’s blood sugars, not to mention the energy and liveliness of a household with four active boys, Agatha turned to JDRF and fundraising as a pathway to find inspiration and community. Her first JDRF event began with the Walk for the Cure.

This year will be the Siegel family’s 13^th Walk with JDRF. Agatha speaks so fondly of her sister-in-law Lauren, the true inspiration and motivation behind their important Walk tradition. Lauren is a talented graphic designer and created both the team name “The Walkabouts” and a special t-shirt for everyone to proudly wear, all in honor of her nephews’ diagnoses.

When the boys were young, Agatha and her family moved to Forest Hills, Queens. Now having some fundraising experience after a few years of successful Walks, Agatha wanted to try her hand at outreach. She started simply, with a tag and lemonade sale in Forest Hills. It was a successful event, signaling the start of her family’s T1D awareness campaign. It was with this initial event that Agatha began to see herself connecting with her local neighborhood, while advocating for the larger T1D community. Her event also gave her a tangible feeling of control. By taking something as overwhelming as a type 1 diagnosis for two children, and using her energy in a positive direction, she was able to both raise awareness for T1D as well as feel more connected with the JDRF.

As her family grew, they moved to their current home in West Windsor, settling in a house near her mother. Her boys’ diverse interests run the gamut of activities. Jackson, a talented musician and skateboarder, plays the guitar in a rock band. Alec is passionate about lacrosse while Bennett follows in his father’s footsteps and plays ice hockey and baseball. Owen, the youngest, enjoys trying all the sports his big brothers play.

Hearing Agatha describe her vibrant household, filled not only with activities, but with tremendous love and affection, it becomes clear that T1D is only a piece of her dynamic puzzle. However, the stress of managing not one, but two different T1D children is exhausting and can be isolating. After relocating, Agatha reflected on how to manage her growing boys, their T1D, while also making connections within her new West Windsor community.

In trying to overcome feeling alone in a new town, Agatha tapped into what had worked in Queens, just with a new focus. Thus was born the “WTO” or “Warrior Type One” project, a project blending together Agatha’s love of yoga, community-building, and her mission to raise awareness for T1D. The WTO is a grassroots, local neighborhood project centered on events and community gatherings. All of the WTO events raise money to support their newly renamed walk team, “The Warrior Type One Walkabouts.”

A reflective thinker and a self-described introvert, Agatha is also a talented yoga teacher. The WTO sponsored many successful events in the West Windsor area, including an outdoor yoga party for the whole family, followed next by a yoga and wine party in the local arts center. Then, using “karma” (donation) yoga classes in local yoga studios, and “Glow in the Dark Yoga,” Agatha and her family continued to combine their passion for yoga with their goal of raising awareness and building community.

 

However, yoga is not the only thing Agatha and her family feel passionate about! Moving in a few different directions, she organized an outdoor “Warrior Type One Rocks” music concert with the School of Rock Princeton, as well as a local youth football league T1D awareness day.  In a colorful tribute to T1D and the JDRF, the players wore blue socks and the cheerleaders had blue ribbons in their hair.

 

Currently, Agatha is wrapping up her 2nd annual “Hit-a-thon” event with her local Little League. Always bringing T1D awareness and community building together, Agatha’s events under the WTO umbrella have garnered the support of many local businesses, the local West Windsor Police Department, and the high school baseball and softball teams.

 

Tapping into Agatha’s passion and natural outreach skills, JDRF asked Agatha and her family to join them this past November at the NJ State Legislature to support a vote to declare the first “T1D Awareness Day.” Agatha was honored to be part of this movement and her boys’ middle school celebrated the first T1D Awareness Day with a special event. The students wore blue, raised funds for the JDRF, and enjoyed an entertaining lip-sync contest between the teachers. Like all of the previous Siegel family events, this T1D day brought together spirit and enthusiasm, as well as community building and awareness.

 

JDRF is honored to introduce this year’s newest One Walk Ambassador, Agatha Siegel. Finding strength, community and support, Agatha consciously combines her personal passions with her goals to fundraise and increase awareness for T1D. Agatha’s ingenuity and creativity are inspirational. She integrates her family, her community, and the JDRF, with a smile and grace that motivate us all.