Fund A Cure with Diane Meiller-Cook | Breakthrough T1D Orlando Gala 2024

A Mother's Fight

Dear Friends and Family,

As you may know, I have been involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for over 12 years because of the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes for both Jean-Christian (JC) and Luc within six weeks of one another. This year, JDRF evolved to Breakthrough T1D to further power their global movement to power type 1 diabetes (T1D) breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat T1D.

JC was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in the fall of his freshman year of high school after going into keto acidosis with a blood sugar level of 1000 (normal blood sugar level is 80). Like most parents of Type 1 Diabetics, I didn’t know anything about Type 1 Diabetes. His endocrinologist said that had we arrived at the ER minutes later, this story might have had a different ending. Our lives were turned upside down and thought things couldn’t get any worse. Six weeks later, Luc, aged 8, was also diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I was in disbelief. Their T1D journey has included hospitalizations, pump and CGM malfunctions, insulin supply delays, and more.

Because of Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF), we now have insulin pumps with a hybrid closed loop technology which allows the pump to communicate with a continuous glucose monitor through algorithms. It delivers insulin when blood glucose levels are too high and decreases/pauses the flow of insulin if the levels are too low. This technology has had a significant impact on the life of a diabetic. For example, 35 years ago, the risk of vision loss from diabetic eye disease was 50 percent. Today, state-of-the-art care has cut the risk to 5 percent.

Thirty years ago, there was no way to predict if someone would develop T1D. Now, it’s possible to detect T1D before symptoms arise through biomarkers. In fact, the FDA approved Teplizumab-mzwv, or Tzield^TM, the first disease-modifying therapy available to delay T1D in people at risk of developing the disease. Studies have shown that Tzield can delay the onset of T1D for approximately 2 years. That’s approximately 4,380 finger pricks, 5,110 insulin shots, and 416 hours of lost sleep back for someone at risk for T1D.

Technology has made a huge difference, but it is not a cure. Within the past six months, both JC and Luc had pumps and glucose monitors which malfunctioned or gave out. Once was during Hurricane Milton which delayed delivery of a replacement for almost two weeks. Support like yours has helped get where we are today. Our dream is for a cure, so we no longer need to write letters like this. But today, we still need your help to fund critical research.

Would you join me in making a difference in the lives of families affected by T1D by making a Fund a Cure donation. Fund a Cure donations are 100% tax-deductible contributions that fund mission-critical research. Please click on the link above. Your generous support makes a difference.

With gratitude for your support,

Diane Meiller-Cook