Fund A Cure with Lynn Peisch | Breakthrough T1D Rochester Gala 2026
NY
About
On behalf of all families with loved ones managing type 1 diabetes (T1D) every single day, our shared goal is simple and powerful:
To make Type 1, Type None.
For those who may not be familiar with T1D, it is an autoimmune disease that can be diagnosed at any age. The body’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, an essential hormone needed to keep us alive.
Sixteen years ago, just days before his tenth birthday, my son was diagnosed with T1D. Neither of us could have imagined that diagnosis day would become a marker for life before T1D and life after.
At the time, he was in fourth grade. One night, frustrated with his homework, he looked at me and said:
“I hate math. When will I ever need to use this in real life?”
As a CPA, I started explaining all the ways I use math every day. I didn’t get far before the classic eye roll cut me off, and he finished his homework.
Little did we know that just a few months later, math would become part of every meal, every snack, every day. Every old routine would become a new one.
When T1D entered our home, we didn’t even know it existed. That day began my education about T1D, insulin, and the profound difference between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
I learned that my son’s body could no longer produce insulin, a hormone essential to life. And I learned what it means to live with the constant reality that his life depends on insulin and constant vigilance.
Imagine doing this exercise at every meal and snack:
- What is my blood sugar?
- How many carbohydrates am I eating?
- How much insulin do I need for this food?
- Do I need a correction?
Add it all together.
Then do it again at the next meal.
And the next snack.
And the next day.
That represents just one meal out of the thousands of meals and snacks my son has navigated over the past sixteen years, making countless decisions about insulin, food, activity, blood sugar, and so much more.
As a single parent, helping my son navigate the ups and downs of this disease has been complex. But from the beginning, our goal was never to let T1D define what he could do. Whatever activities he enjoyed before his diagnosis, we found a way to create a new normal so he could continue doing them.
Today, he is a hardworking young man building his own life. He works long hours in a demanding job, and I am incredibly proud of the person he has become. He has chosen to keep his T1D journey private, and as his mom, I respect that completely.
His story belongs to him, and if and when he is ready to share it, that will be his choice.
Because T1D is a part of his life, but it is not who he is.
There are so many ways to be part of this mission.
Some people share their stories. Some participate in walks and events. Some advocate. Some volunteer. Some give. And some simply choose to live their lives without making T1D a defining part of their identity.
Every one of those choices matters.
For me, I can use my voice to advocate for the future I hope my son will one day experience, a future where T1D no longer has to be part of his everyday life.
And if I’m being completely honest, what drives me to volunteer is simple:
I want my son to never have to take another shot of insulin.
I want that for him.
And I want that for every child and family living with T1D, including those whose stories we may never hear.
That is why the work of Breakthrough T1D is so important to me.
Breakthrough T1D is dedicated to advancing research, advocating for the T1D community, and supporting people and families living with T1D.
And I am more hopeful now than I have ever been.
Sixteen years ago, many of the tools that help manage T1D today either didn’t exist or were not available in the way they are now. Continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps have transformed how many people manage their diabetes.
T1D screening is now available, and treatments such as TZIELD can delay the onset of insulin-dependent T1D for eligible individuals at Stage 2, giving families more time to prepare for what comes next.
These advances remind me of something important:
Research changes lives.
Sixteen years ago, I couldn’t have imagined how much could change.
So imagine what could happen in the next sixteen years.
Imagine a future where a child never has to learn how to count carbohydrates before eating.
Where a parent doesn’t have to check blood sugars in the middle of the night.
Where living with T1D doesn’t mean making thousands of decisions simply to stay alive.
And imagine what that future would mean for my son, and for every person and family living with T1D today.
I believe that future is worth fighting for.
We have already seen what research can accomplish. Now, together, we can help make the next breakthrough possible.
Please consider making a gift to Breakthrough T1D. Your support helps fund the research, innovation, advocacy, and support that move us closer to a future without T1D.
Because hope isn’t just about believing that something better is possible.
Hope is giving us the opportunity to make it possible.
For my son.
For every family living with T1D.
And for every child who comes after them.