Learn all about this year’s Beat the Bridge at the Kickoff on March 25 at 3pm PST!

October 12, 2020, exactly one month before our youngest son Edward’s 13th birthday, is a day that changed our world as a family forever with his diagnosis of T1D. Since this day, we have learned so much, including many silver linings, even in a pandemic!

When Edward was born in November 2007, he was screened while a newborn in the hospital for the biomarkers to detect TID through the “TEDDY Study.” As a family, Edward’s nickname has long been “Teddy.” Silver lining? Edward did have the markers for potentially developing diabetes in his lifetime. While this news then was not comforting to us, we did collectively hold onto the potential hope that we would be better equipped to recognize the signs and symptoms if they were to happen and be able to react faster. We made the choice to not share this information with Edward or his older brother until just five days before his diagnosis, after we had begun to see and track the signs and symptoms, and the prior knowledge of diabetes risk came creeping back in. Silver lining?

While, Edward did experience DKA at diagnosis, we were told DKA is typically much worse, proving in fact we did know what to look for. Silver lining? In the midst of at-home learning due to COVID, we were able to see that being at home was going to be the best gift of time. Time to focus on what we all now needed to learn–how to care for Edward, how to find our way during a pandemic to educate ourselves, and others in our family, and try to find our community in all this. This time at home gave us more than we could have ever had if our lives were as busy as they were before the pandemic. Silver lining?

Since Edward’s diagnosis, we have moved forward every moment of each day with determination and it led to great results! As Edward’s mom, I found myself on my first Zoom call with JDRF two weeks following his diagnosis and hospitalization. The determination and community found in JDRF, as well as the education provided in that first call felt like the biggest hug we all needed, even in a pandemic.
Knowing JDRF is looking out for all T1D families is the biggest support we’ve ever felt in anything. We now know that JDRF is funding the futures of all T1D’s.

As our family continues to learn, educate, and advocate for Edward, we are assured that in our first year as Team Chasing Sugars at the 39th Annual Nordstrom Beat the Bridge, we will live the mission of JDRF. Edward told me that our teams’ name best represents the new life of a T1D–we are Chasing Sugars in each day, but we are also well supported in doing so by our T1D community!
We would love to invite all to join us at Beat the Bridge, virtual style this year! Chasing Sugars can’t wait to watch our community grow with greatness that day! #T1DNONE is the best finish line in this race. Join us!

Ready to join Chasing Sugars and kick this year off right? Register and rally your team at BeattheBridge.org, then join us at the Beat the Bridge Kickoff to hear how you can make 2021 a smashing success all while making an impact on creating a world without type 1 diabetes.

Beat the Bridge Kickoff 2021
Thursday, March 25, 2021
3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Zoom In Your Living Room

Register for the kickoff here, invite your team members, and get ready to earn some exciting prizes for your participation!