The Breakthrough T1D Tee to Table event will celebrate its 11th year on May 8, bringing the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community together for an unforgettable night with a roaring twenties theme at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.
Our 2026 Fund A Cure Champions, young leaders living with T1D, will engage with guests and take part in the program, inspiring all to join our mission.
Fund A Cure is an opportunity to make an impact on the lives of people living with T1D and their loved ones through a 100% tax-deductible donation which will accelerate life-changing research. Fund A Cure donations will be invested in Breakthrough T1D’s effective and focused research agenda aimed to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until there is a cure. Fund A Cure donations may be made here.
Meet the 2026 Tee to Table Fund A Cure Champions:
Carter
What is the hardest part of living with T1D?
When people make assumptions about T1D and assume maybe you ate bad or had unhealthy living style.
What would a cure mean to you?
It would mean a lot to me. It would mean I could live more freely and worry less about my blood sugar.
Dominic
What is the hardest part of living with T1D?
Not being be able to lie on my back and stuff because it hurts to be on my pump. Also, when I wrestle with my brothers, my devices tear off.
What would a cure mean to you?
Freedom!
Emilio
What is the hardest part of living with T1D?
Having to take breaks in the middle of hanging out with friends or PE so that I can check my sugar or treat a low.
What would a cure mean to you?
Going back to normal and not having to do math every time I get hungry.
Eva
What is the hardest part of living with T1D?
The fact that it never goes away and I always have to deal with it.
What would a cure mean to you?
That I could live normally and be able to just exist without worrying.
Julian
What is the hardest part of living with T1D?
Sitting out at recess when my blood sugar is low and missing out on fun with my friends.
What would a cure mean to you?
I could eat whatever I want without having to worry about carbs, even pizza and rice crispy treats!
Kenny
What is the hardest part of living with T1D?
Every part of this illness is extremely hard.
What would a cure mean to you?
Having a cure would give my son a chance to know a life without this illness. Type 1 diabetes is all he’s known since he was a baby.
Lily G.
What is the hardest part of living with T1D?
The hardest part of living with type one diabetes is that it is an invisible disease. I can show up to school with a smile on my face and nobody will know that I got three hours of sleep from chasing highs and lows. When I’m sitting outside my classroom because my blood sugar is too high and I can’t focus and people walk by and immediately think I’m faking it just to skip class. When my blood sugar is dangerously low and people ask if I’m ok and of course I say I’m fine but in reality it feels like I’m minutes away from passing out. People without T1D don’t understand what it is really like to go through life.
What would a cure mean to you?
I’m like a bird who’s trapped in a cage, staring at the key which is so far away. All I want to do is burst free and play but I know that will happen at least not today. This cage is my home but I’ll be free someday, but that day is so far so far away. When I was nearly diagnosed in third grade, I made this poem. It felt like all hope was lost and that this disease is a lifelong thing. But now I know that there’s hope for the future. For me a cure would mean freedom. A cure would mean I can go for a run early in the morning and eat breakfast and leave my phone at home with no need to use it to track my blood sugar. That may seem like an every day thing for some people, but it really is a dream for me. A cure would mean that there is hope and that I would not be trapped in the cage any longer.
Lily R.
What is the hardest part of living with T1D?
Infusion sites on my tummy.
What would a cure mean to you?
No more pokes!