Local Breakthrough T1D Family Spotlight: The Shields Family

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and Breakthrough T1D is raising awareness all month long.  We will be highlighting type 1 diabetes (T1D) stories throughout the month. Our first spotlight is on the Shields family (father Greg, mother Amy, sons Alex and Danny) whose son Danny was just diagnosed this summer.  Read more below to find out what Breakthrough T1D means to them.

What is your T1D connection?

 Our son, Danny, was diagnosed with T1D on June 30, 2017.

Tell us about your loved one living with T1D.

 Danny is in second grade at Hallowell Elementary School in Hatboro. Most importantly, he is twin brother to Alex (Alex is 10 minutes older). Danny loves to swim, play video games with Alex, wrestle with Dad, and build with blocks, Legos or anything that stacks. Danny is hilariously funny, and was even telling jokes to the doctors and nurses in the ER when he was diagnosed with T1D. He continues to amaze us with his emotional and physical strength through this unexpected journey.

How has Breakthrough T1D’s Outreach support made a difference for you and your family?

 Breakthrough T1D has helped us as a family in many ways. I heard about the Bag of Hope when we were in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, so I looked it up online when we were discharged from the hospital. I filled out the online Breakthrough T1D survey and clicked “No” on the question that read – “Do you want someone from Breakthrough T1D to contact you?” Thank goodness I got that call from Breakthrough T1D Outreach Manager CarlaAnn Henry just to “make sure” I didn’t want any help. We felt very scared and alone once we were home and were still trying to wrap our heads around the situation. CarlaAnn was very comforting and a wealth of information. She even put Greg in touch with another local dad of a T1D. After receiving the Bag of Hope, and learning more about Breakthrough T1D and its mission, we put together a Breakthrough T1D One Walk team for Bucks County – Danny’s Dynamos. We had a great deal of help from local parents of T1D children who were very friendly and willing to help us. We want to extend special thanks to Amy and Ed Butterworth, Mindy DeSimone and Fred McCarthy — all local parents of T1D children who shared their time and stories with us. We are lucky to now call them friends.

Why did you decide to get involved with Breakthrough T1D (One Walk, Kids Walk, Gala, Ride to Cure Diabetes, and/or any other Breakthrough T1D activity)?

When we put Danny’s Dynamos together, we envisioned our immediate family as the entire team and raising $500. By Walk Day, we had 46 members on our team and raised over $6,000. Fundraising for Danny’s Dynamos was so much fun for us as a family and helped us focus on the positives, such as meeting wonderful people from Breakthrough T1D and parents who know how we feel.  It brought comfort to Danny knowing that so many other kids are also fighting this battle. We started our One Walk team late since we were diagnosed so recently, and we tried to think of quick fundraising ideas. We are in a cover band called Mojo and the Helper Monkeys; with the support of the other Helper Monkeys, Eli Bockol and Peter Suanlarm, we decided to record any song request for a $25 donation to the team. Not all of them are winners, but it was a unique fundraiser that helped us raise money quickly. Danny and Alex even made their musical debut in a few of them. We were asked by Breakthrough T1D to perform at another Breakthrough T1D One Walk, and we chose One Walk Reading on October 15; we had an amazing time meeting even more families in our situation and wonderful Breakthrough T1D team members.

 What would you tell another newly diagnosed family about Breakthrough T1D?

Get in touch with Breakthrough T1D! They will help you transition into this new life that you will be leading. They show you that this is just a new wrinkle in your life – and it is manageable. They will introduce you to local families who know how you feel and are fighting right there along with you to eliminate this unfair disease.

Join the Shields family in supporting your local Breakthrough T1D One Walk.  There is still time to support your local Breakthrough T1D One Walk by making a personal donation or reaching out to your network to share your T1D story and how their donations will help us turn Type One into Type None!

Breakthrough T1D One Walk Allentown

Breakthrough T1D One Walk Bucks County

Breakthrough T1D One Walk Philadelphia

Breakthrough T1D One Walk Reading