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 Breakthrough T1D 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 Breakthrough T1D 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 Breakthrough T1D 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 Breakthrough T1D’s mission. Since then the Stanfords have done everything possible to help Breakthrough T1D 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 Breakthrough T1D’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 Breakthrough T1D’s National Government Advocacy and Outreach programs and Speakers Bureau Member, Moira has spoken across the country on behalf of Breakthrough T1D, and in 2005, the Stanfords became the Chair Family for Breakthrough T1D’s biennial Children’s Congress. Moira was awarded Breakthrough T1D’s International Volunteer of the Year in 2007, because of her tireless passion and effort to bring awareness to Breakthrough T1D and its cause.
In recent years, the Stanfords not only participated in Breakthrough T1D’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 Breakthrough T1D rider. Moira recalls her greatest ride experience occurring last summer, when she and Lauren together finished the 100-mile Breakthrough T1D 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 Breakthrough T1D 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 Breakthrough T1D 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 Breakthrough T1D Boston Gala.
To make a gift in honor of Moira and Sean and read more of their story, visit https://bit.ly/StanfordsJDRF. To learn more about the Breakthrough T1D Boston Gala and the various opportunities for support, including tickets and sponsorship, visit https://jdrf-baystate.ejoinme.org/34thbostongala.
