Fund A Cure with The Adduci Family | 2026 Breakthrough T1D Naples Gala
FL
About
We are honored and humbled to be selected as the featured Fund A Cure Family at the upcoming Breakthrough T1D Gala (formerly JDRF) on January 23, 2026.
My name is Lauren Adduci, and this is my first year supporting the Breakthrough T1D Gala to help raise awareness and funds for Type 1 Diabetes, and to honor of the strongest man I know – my dad, Dennis Adduci.
My dad was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 when he was 23 years old, only one year into marriage with my mom, Mary; they will be celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary this upcoming September. My dad’s now 70, and for nearly five decades he’s lived every day with courage, discipline, and grace, while managing a lifelong disease that never takes a day off. His body has fought a thousand silent battles that few ever saw, leaving scars on his fingers, his belly and his memories. Type 1 Diabetes has never let up, and neither has my dad.
I’m the youngest of four children – David, Andrew, Annie and myself – and we’ve grown up watching our dad fight this invisible, relentless battle. Type 1 Diabetes shaped our family in more ways than one. Managing this disease isn’t just about taking insulin, it’s about waking up in the middle of the night to low blood sugar episodes, irritability and confusion. It’s calling 9-1-1 more times than we can count. It’s the quiet fear that lives in the background of birthdays, holidays, weddings and everyday moments.
Some memories never leave me: waking up in the middle of the night seeing my dad sweaty and shaky at the kitchen table, whispering to me that he was okay when he clearly wasn’t or being terrified when he ran a stop light driving home from a family party, only later realizing he was having a low blood sugar reaction. Those moments are etched in my memory, but they were later followed by moments where my dad would crack a joke and act like nothing happened. He didn’t want us to carry the weight of his condition. Diabetes never defined him. He was the dad who coached every basketball game, made breakfast on Sunday mornings, danced at Father-Daughter dances and took us to Chicago Cubs games at Wrigley Field. And through it all, his strength never shouted – it showed up quietly, every single day.
As my dad’s grown older, managing Type 1 Diabetes has only become harder. He’s faced neuropathy, eye surgeries, circulation loss in his legs and feet, ulcerations that never heal, and ultimately, the devastating amputation on his left foot. Still, he keeps going. He still walks with a cane every day. He still laughs easily. He still fights, not just for himself, but for those who come after him.
Our family knows the toll of Type 1 Diabetes not just through my dad, but through his older brother, my Uncle Joe, who also battled with Type 1 Diabetes. Joe was an incredible athlete, who loved baseball. At age 16, he took a fast pitch to the head – a traumatic moment that triggered his diagnosis. He then returned his senior year to hit the winning home run, getting his team into the championship, and was later drafted by the Chicago White Sox. Sadly, he lost his battle with diabetes at the young age of 40. He was full of potential, talent, and heart, and we carry his memory and spirit with us every day. This disease has taken a lot from our family. But it has also taught us how to live fiercely, love deeply, and never give up hope.
There have been many moments we weren’t sure we’d still have our dad – but he’s still here. And he’s still fighting. His strength isn’t loud – it’s steady. It’s in the way he handles each day, every injection, every doctor’s appointment, every scare. He holds onto hope that while a cure may not come in his lifetime, it might come for others – children newly diagnosed, parents learning to care for their loved ones, or families like ours dreaming of a different future.
That’s why I volunteer: I do it for my dad, my Uncle Joe, and the millions of families who know this fight. I do it for better technology, better treatments, and – one day – a cure.
Please consider donating to our Fund A Cure family page. Every gift, no matter the size, will make a meaningful impact on improving the lives of those affected by Type 1 Diabetes.
On behalf of our entire family, we are very grateful for your generosity and support. Together, we can help move closer to a cure and bring hope and healing to millions.
With heartfelt thanks and appreciation,
The Adduci Family