Fund A Cure with The Sykes Family | Breakthrough T1D Syracuse Gala 2026

A Message from Megan and Richard:

Our story started as a hunch. A mother’s intuition that something wasn’t right. What followed was a single finger prick that changed everything. Rushed to the hospital in the darkness of night with our son, we found ourselves surrounded by doctors and nurses doing a battery of tests.

No one ever prepares you for having a child with a chronic illness, yet that became our family’s reality in the spring of 2025. Our son Henry, just 12-years-old, arrived at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse where he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D), an autoimmune disease that has no cure.

T1D requires intensive, 24/7 management. There are no days off, and there is no cure – yet. But the advancements made in technology have been remarkable which has given us the crucial tools to be able to monitor our child. The ongoing research underway in search of a cure is incredible and offers concrete optimism for the future for T1D patients. One can only hope that it will only be a matter of time before there is an end to the constant monitoring and frequent daily alarms.

Breakthrough T1D’s core mission is to raise funds for the urgently needed cutting edge scientific advancements, supporting local families like ours impacted by T1D.

We are proud to serve as Co-Chairs of this year’s annual Syracuse Gala and we hope you will join on our family’s journey by making a 100% tax-deductible gift to fuel the research to help find a cure. Our personal gratitude knows no bounds.