Katie and Bruce Erickson are one of our newest families and are participating in their first One Walk this year. Their team, Team Murphy, has already raised $6200!

Katie was diagnosed in 1980 at age 8. At that time there was no digital glucose testing, glucose strips were used and the color on the strip was compared to the color on the bottle, largely done through guesswork. Katie got her first pump at age 16; her first pump was about three times the size of pumps now. After living with T1D for 36 years, Katie has been able to witness first hand all the advancements in treatment that have come about. Due to these advancements and continuing research on T1D treatments and a cure, she has been able to live a successful life with T1D.

Growing up in a small town with T1D, Katie felt that she was always known as the diabetic kid. When she went away to college she hoped to shred this identity and be known for things other than an autoimmune disorder, so she didn’t tell anyone. For years, no one knew that Katie was diabetic. It was not until she got her diabetic alert dog, Murphy, that she began to truly ‘come out’ and embrace diabetes. Murphy accompanies Katie everywhere she goes and is able to detect Katie’s blood glucose levels and alert her if she gets too high or too low.

When Katie started bringing Murphy to work with her, people began to realize that she was diabetic, and she was amazed by the support. She also realized how many of her coworkers were also diabetic, had a child with diabetes or had some other connection. Since then she has found the opportunity to mentor and advocate for other T1D’s. She especially enjoys meeting parents of T1D’s and feels that she has been able to help them understand that T1D’s can grow up to be successful with normal lives.

Katie first found out about Breakthrough T1D at a fundraiser she was asked to speak at last year. She was excited about getting involved with an organization that focuses strictly on Type 1. She loved seeing how Breakthrough T1D has contributed to research and advancements and knowing the part Breakthrough T1D is playing in moving towards the cure. She said that there have been many times that she’s felt like giving up on research but that Breakthrough T1D has given her new hope!

Katie and her husband Bruce are very much looking forward to their first One Walk this weekend! Their fundraising for the walk has been centered around social media, sharing information about the Walk and asking their friends for donations and support. Katie says she has been overwhelmed by the amount of support they have received from everyone!!