Breakthrough T1D Los Angeles Gala 2025 | One Night Under the Stars

To Our Breakthrough T1D Community,

As a family living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), we want to thank you for your ongoing support of the Breakthrough T1D Los Angeles Gala. Your generosity has brought real hope to families like ours and helped fund the research that is moving us closer every day to a world without T1D.

Our journey is deeply personal. I was diagnosed with T1D as an adult in 2022, and just last year, our then 12-year-old son, Ben, received the same life-changing diagnosis. Living with T1D is a constant balancing act — every day, every meal, every decision. But as a mom, the hardest part isn’t managing my own disease. It’s watching my child take it on, too.

This past July, we had the privilege of attending Breakthrough T1D’s Children’s Congress in Washington, D.C. What an unforgettable experience! We were surrounded by young advocates and families from across the country, all united by a shared mission: to accelerate progress toward cures. We left deeply inspired, reminded that while T1D is relentless, so is the community fighting to end it. The resilience of the T1D community is nothing short of extraordinary, as is the strength of the greater Los Angeles community, which has come together with courage and compassion during this challenging year of wildfires.

And now, for the first time in years, we feel a new sense of hope. The recent breakthroughs in cell therapies are unlike anything we’ve seen before: trials that are restoring insulin production in people with T1D and laying the foundation for treatments that could one day eliminate the need for daily insulin. This is no longer a distant dream. It’s happening now, thanks to the research that donors like you have made possible.

That’s why we’re honored to serve as a Fund A Cure Family for this year’s Breakthrough T1D Los Angeles Gala, One Night Under the Stars, on October 25, 2025. Fund A Cure directly supports the most promising research, including the cutting-edge science behind these cell-based therapies, bringing us closer to cures every single day.

Your generosity has already helped fuel incredible progress. Together, we can keep pushing forward so that one day, no family will have to face a T1D diagnosis again. Please consider joining us and giving generously to this life-changing mission by making a Fund A Cure gift at: https://tinyurl.com/LAGALA25

The time is now!

With heartfelt gratitude,

Melissa Heuer and The Heuer Family
Breakthrough T1D Los Angeles Gala

https://tinyurl.com/LAGALA25

Frank Buckley anchors KTLA’s signature broadcast, L.A.’s No.1-rated KTLA 5 Morning News every Monday through Friday from 7-11 a.m. He is also the host/executive producer of the weekly TV show and podcast, Frank Buckley Interviews, airing on weekends on KTLA and also available on YouTube and all podcast platforms. Frank also co-anchors Inside California Politics, airing weekends on KTLA and on other Nexstar TV stations.

Frank joined KTLA in 2005 from CNN, where he had been a national correspondent. Frank is the recipient of numerous awards, including Emmys for hard news reporting, for news special for his coverage of the Hong Kong handover, and for entertainment programming for co-hosting KTLA’s Rose Parade pre-show.

He has also won awards from the Los Angeles Press Club, including best documentary for KTLA’s “When Disaster Strikes: A Survival Guide” and for talk/public affairs for “Access L.A.” His other honors include APTRA Awards from the Associated Press Television-Radio Association, including reporter of the year; Golden Mike Awards from the Radio and Television News Association for writing and feature reporting; and the national Americanism in News Media Award. In 2019, Frank Buckley Interviews was nominated for a Los Angeles Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Award. In 2020, the program was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Justin Willman wants to melt your brain while making you laugh. He’s best known as the star and creator of the hit Netflix series Magic For Humans and The Magic Prank Show with Justin Willman. You may have also caught him on the current Netflix special, Magic Lover. Or you may recognize him from one of his many television appearances (The Tonight Show, The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Conan…). Or maybe you know his work as a host (Baking Impossible; Cupcake Wars; Win, Lose or Draw…). Or maybe he’s the child magician you hired in suburban St. Louis in the ‘90s. If you don’t know Justin, he’s a magician and comedian who’s mastered the art of turning cynics into believers (or at least getting them to laugh).

Justin is also a proud father, a loving husband, and has zero experience as a licensed boat mechanic (that’s a different Justin Willman).