Fund A Cure with Rich Rosen | Breakthrough T1D Capital Region Gala 2025

About

Breakthrough T1D Upstate New York is proud to have Rich Rosen serve as the Corporate Chair of our annual Capital Region Gala. Below is a message from Rich:

“In 2017, my wife, Cheri, and I met Kirstie and Justin Bradway. Kirstie told us, ‘My husband, Justin, lives with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and from the day my oldest son was born, I’ve lived in a constant state of paranoia that one of our children would also develop diabetes.’ Unfortunately, within five years of each other, the Bradways received 3 life-changing diagnoses for their beloved children.

• September 2015: At 2-and-a-half years old, their son, Gavin, was diagnosed with T1D. Thanks to Breakthrough T1D-funded research, Gavin was able to go to kindergarten wearing his continuous glucose monitor (CGM) so he could focus on his ABCs instead of his BGs (blood glucose).
• Christmas 2019: Trevor, the eldest Bradway son, started exhibiting symptoms of T1D like extreme thirst and frequent urination.  Just to see, they checked his BG. A normal BG is around 90; Trevor’s read 600. Thankfully, the Bradway boys had each other to lean on, and Gavin was a huge support to Trevor as he adjusted to wearing an insulin pump 24/7.
• September 2020: Their daughter, Savannah, tested positive for 3 out of 4 autoantibodies markers for T1D and is currently in Stage 2 of T1D development.

In the five years since their diagnoses, thanks to supporters like you, T1D breakthroughs have kept coming. In 2022, the T1D community got a huge win! The first disease-modifying therapy for individuals at-risk for developing T1D was approved by the FDA. Under the brand name, Tzield, this therapy addresses the autoimmunity behind T1D and can delay the onset of T1D in at-risk individuals like Savannah.

Kristie shared, “When I tell you I have the toughest, bravest, and strongest kids I know, I 100% mean it.” These days, the Bradway children are 14, 12-and-a-half, and 9. The boys love fishing and helping their grandfathers on home remodeling projects. They even built a wooden lemonade stand for their sister, and a trellis for their mom! Although T1D has become a part of their family’s daily lives, 24/7/365 management of this disease is still challenging. One of the kids recently had an infection in his insulin pump site and had to go on antibiotics — who wants to pause the summer fun to hang around in urgent care?

Please consider a donation towards Fund A Cure in honor of the Bradway Family to help us make T1D a thing of the past. 100% of your Fund A Cure donations go to Breakthrough T1D and its mission to cure, prevent, and better treat type 1 diabetes and its complications.”