Breakthrough T1D Des Moines Gala 2025

The Bruggemans: A Family on a Mission to Cure T1D

We are the Bruggeman Family – Mike, Erin, Austin, Zach, and Paul. We are honored and excited that our family has been chosen as the Fund A Cure Family for this year’s Breakthrough T1D Hope Gala (formerly JDRF). This recognition is deeply personal to us. T1D has had a profound and lasting impact on our lives. Our middle son, Zach, was diagnosed at the age of 9. Like so many others, we quickly learned that T1D is an unrelenting, 24/7 disease that requires constant attention and care—every blood sugar, every meal, every activity. There are no breaks, no vacations, and as of today, no cure.

But there is hope.

Over the past year, our family has taken steps to lean even further into this mission. In July 2024, Erin joined the Greater Des Moines Breakthrough T1D Community Board of Directors, and after retiring in November, she committed even more time and energy to driving this work forward. Meanwhile, Mike took a new role in December 2024 as CIO of a med/tech company focused on diabetes—a shift that wasn’t planned but felt undeniably purposeful. When the recruiter shared the name of the company and division, it felt like our family was being called to go deeper, to do more, and to be bold in the fight against T1D.

This year, we’re doing just that. As the 2025 Fund A Cure Family, we’re asking our incredible friends, family, and community to join us in making this the best year yet. We want to show the power of what happens when people come together with a shared vision—a future free from T1D.

Our stories are unique, but they are also deeply connected—tied together by the courage it takes to face T1D every day, and the determination to make sure that someday soon, no child or adult has to live with this disease.

Fund A Cure is a unique opportunity to give directly to research focused solely on curing T1D. Every single dollar donated goes directly to this mission—with no deductions for event costs. That means your gift goes straight to work, funding the most promising, cutting-edge science that could change lives forever.

We would be incredibly grateful for your support. Thank you for standing with us and all families living with T1D. Together, we can create a future free from T1D.

Thank you! – The Bruggemans