My name is Jennifer Almeido and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 8 years old. I have been living with T1D for so long now that it is hard to remember a time when I did not have it. As a child, my mother and I were involved with Breakthrough T1D in the area we lived in but became uninvolved as I went through the teenage years. I reconnected with the organization a few years ago and it was one of the best decisions I made. As anyone involved with the Nevada Chapter already knows, the ladies at Breakthrough T1D are amazing and put their hearts and souls into their job each and every day. I have met a lot of great people through Breakthrough T1D and am thrilled to be the volunteer chair for the Breakthrough T1D Adult Time group. As any of us with the disease know, it is not one that you outgrow and those of us diagnosed as children all grow up to be adults with T1D, and unfortunately more adults are diagnosed each and every day with the disease.

I participated in the Breakthrough T1D Las Vegas Walk to Cure Diabetes for the first time last year and am so glad that I decided to do so. It could not have been a more perfect experience for me. It was so touching and heartwarming to see so many individuals gathered in one place all for the same reason – to help find a cure. I am looking forward to another great event this year.

I am truly blessed in my life with the amazing people who I get to call my family and friends. It is so amazing to have such a great group of people who support and love you. Part of my family includes three nieces who I could not be more proud of, if they were my own children. They are constantly teaching me what “unconditional love” truly means.  It is such a thrill to be a part of each of their lives. My niece Kylie who is the oldest of my nieces is an exceptional young lady who took it into her own hands this year to help with the goal of finding a cure for a disease that her aunt lives with each day of her life. Kylie is a Charger Girl for the San Diego Chargers (so yes, that would mean that my entire family are huge Chargers fans). Each year the Charger Girls Organization puts together a calendar of the girls on the squad.  The girls then vote on a charity to receive a portion of the proceeds from the calendar sales to.  The girls on the squad get to nominate a charity and then vote for which one they want to donate to. Kylie took it upon herself to nominate Breakthrough T1D this year. I could not have been more proud of her and more touched when I got the phone call telling me that she had nominated Breakthrough T1D and that the squad voted for it to be their charity of choice.  Each of the Charger Girls knows that the money is going to such a worthy cause and are working their bottoms off to sell calendars. The calendars came out amazing this year as all the photos were taken on the local beaches in San Diego. If you are a Charger fan or know someone who is a Charger Fan, a calendar would make a terrific holiday gift and part of the proceeds go to an organization we all love – Breakthrough T1D.  As a bonus, I can have Kylie autograph and personalize her picture for you. If you are interested in buying a calendar, you can email me at jalmeido@yahoo.com. The cost of the calendar is $17.

My sincere thanks and appreciation go out to my niece Kylie,  all the Charger Girls and the Charger Girls organization for helping to support the great work that Breakthrough T1D continues to do each and every day.