by Cara Salaki, Breakthrough T1D Development Coordinator and T1D mom

JDRF’s One Walk might feel, for some, like breaking out an old pair of sneakers: comfortable, relaxed, just right…like a winter holiday we’re excited to start decorating for in September. As the newest staff member at the New Jersey Metro & Rockland County Chapter and a T1D mom, I can’t help but be reminded of Homecoming, where seasoned “alumni” come together to share joyous and meaningful memories of their first Breakthrough T1D One Walk with doe-eyed first-timers.

Already, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know both new and returning Breakthrough T1D One Walk families through phone calls and emails. Each time I picked up the phone to reach out to other T1D families, I anticipated questions about locations, parking, and other event-day specifics. What I didn’t anticipate was that most of these conversations offered fresh shoulders to lean on, confiding chats reminiscent of a holiday visit with family we only see once or twice a year.

Phone calls that were designed to be brief touchpoints with newly diagnosed families, instead, cracked open the shells of fresh relationships, bypassing the delicate new acquaintance stage and plunging headfirst into the comradery of lifelong friends. Instead of questions about logistics and fundraising, the conversations focused on check-ins about each other’s well-being.

While we’re busy planning the One Walk kickoff, reviewing site maps and mapping out new walk routes, these phone calls are also daily reminders of the foundation of who we are and what brought us together. It’s through these phone calls that our mission grows exponentially. While swapping stories about summer struggles and sharing tips that led to personal “wins,” we become a stronger and mightier force in the world of research to find a cure.

With all that said, please join us this One Walk season at one of our three locations:

October 16: Jersey Shore
October 30: Middlesex County
November 6: Liberty State Park

You never know who you’re going to meet or what connections you’ll make…and when you register, I hope you’ll share with me on that first welcome call.