Fund A Cure with The Funk, Borchardt, and Franklin Families | Breakthrough T1D San Antonio Gala 2026

Fund A Cure

As our families prepare for this year’s Breakthrough T1D Promise Ball on May 9th in San Antonio, I have found myself reflecting on a journey that began 24 years ago with four words that changed everything: You have type 1 diabetes.

Since that day, it has been part of every hour of every day of my life, first managed by my parents, and eventually by me. It is a relentless disease that requires constant decision-making: calculating insulin, monitoring blood sugars, planning meals, and anticipating highs and lows. There are no breaks. No vacations from it. No cure.

When I was diagnosed, management meant guesswork, finger sticks, and tremendous uncertainty. But because of research funded through Breakthrough T1D, the outlook today looks entirely different. Advancements in technology have transformed daily life for people living with this disease. These innovations exist because generous donors believed in funding research.

But even with this progress, insulin is not a cure Technology is not a cure. Those living with type 1 diabetes still carry the invisible weight of a disease that never rests.

But there is hope.

Researchers are advancing cell therapies. Immunotherapies are showing promise. Scientific breakthroughs are accelerating, and the question no longer feels like if, but how quickly. That is why the Fund A Cure moment at this year’s event is so important.

When you join us, you are investing in a future where:

• No child hears the words “You have type 1 diabetes.”

• No parent lies awake fearing nighttime lows.

• No adult carries decades of daily burden.

• No family has to plan life around blood sugar numbers.

• No one lives under the shadow of complications that may come years later.

• No parent with type 1 diabetes fears their child may one day hear the same four words.

Our family is deeply honored to be part of this year’s Promise Ball, but what would mean even more is standing in a room filled with people who believe, as we do, that a cure is within reach.

We hope you will join us, celebrate with us, and when the moment comes, give from the heart to help fund the cure so many families are waiting for.

Love,

Makenzie Funk

T1D of 24 Years