Fund A Cure with Karen Dugan | Breakthrough T1D Rochester Gala 2025
AL
About
Type 1 diabetes and I have been long-time acquaintances—not friends, but we share a lot of stories.
My first memories of Type 1 diabetes came through my one year older sister, Janice. Diagnosed at age 6, her regulated meal intake and insulin shots were part of daily life. One night I distinctly remember the commotion and my parents leaving with her for the hospital. While she returned the next day this was the start of multiple hospital trips including one for diabetic ketoacidosis, which lasted several scary days.
While I was away at college, my father, a Harvard MBA, developed a blister from a new pair of dress work shoes. It became infected, and after a succession of surgeries, he returned home three months later with a below-the-knee amputation. He had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 11 and lost his leg at 49.
In my mid-twenties, during a Christmas holiday, I stepped outside to greet my sister, who had just flown in from California. She missed the back step with her foot and missed reaching for my hand. She couldn’t see. Janice has been legally blind since age 26 due to complications of Type 1 diabetes.
Fast forward just a few years. My 11-year-old son, Kevin, was playing soccer, and as I looked across the field, something didn’t look right. He seemed so slight. When we were driving home from practice, he begged and begged me to stop for a Gatorade, even though we were just 15 minutes from home. I knew. I’m a nurse, and while it’s hard to say I was “prepared,” I was ready for this moment.
The next morning, I gathered my three kids, ages 11, 13, and 15, at the kitchen island. I set out three plastic cups and asked them to each pee in a cup. They were horrified, but I insisted and didn’t explain why. Later, as I looked at the cups, I knew. One looked completely different—almost clear.
You see, in Type 1 diabetes, the body cannot utilize glucose as energy because of the lack of insulin. As a result, the glucose builds up in the bloodstream, and the body expels it in urine—along with water to dilute it. When not treated, Type 1 diabetics lose weight because their cells are starving, and they become incredibly thirsty as they lose so much water.
To confirm my suspicion, I used some expired test strips I had bought when my 15-year-old was born. Sure enough, the blood sugar level was high. I called Kevins pediatrician, who told me to take him to the hospital. We came home four days later, equipped with insulin, needles, and a whole new way of living.
Now, Kevin is 25, in his second year of law school at Duke, and has battled Type 1 diabetes for 14 years. He is disciplined, organized, and level headed – skills I imagine he developed due to managing every aspect of his life around this disease. His blood sugars are regulated by two needle sets in his body, and constant monitoring by him, and somehow he carries it with a grace and strength that inspires me.
Looking back on my “relationship” with Type 1 diabetes, I’m reminded of a metaphor: the rearview mirror shows us our past, and while it’s important to glance back for perspective, we must keep our gaze fixed on the front windshield if we’re to move boldly and confidently forward.
We’ve already seen incredible strides in Type 1 diabetes research advancing from what medicine and technology was available for my father, to my sister and now my son —advancements in insulin delivery systems, beta cell regeneration and gene therapy with the increasing potential for a cure. The future is brighter than ever before, and I truly believe we are closer than ever to making Type 1 diabetes a thing of the past. But we need your help to continue pushing for progress. This year, I hope you will join me in looking through the front windshield, seeing a brighter future for Kevin, and many others who suffer with this disease, to help fund research for a cure.
I’m deeply grateful for your friendship and support.