A T1D Parent
My name is Taylor Hayes. I am honored to be your 2024 Hope Gala Fund A Cure Speaker. JDRF has had a tremendous impact on my life. The friendships I have found through JDRF have lifted me up during the most difficult moments of this disease. I was diagnosed with T1D at 12 years old on August 28th, 2019 at a regular well check-up at my pediatrician’s office. I didn’t even feel sick yet. The last thing I expected was the life-altering news that I had an autoimmune disease that I would have to manage for the rest of my life. I didn’t go to school that day. Instead, we went straight to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where I would spend the next few days learning how to manage T1D.
That day, I became part of the JDRF family. I was in the hospital when I received my Rufus bear. That night a JDRF outreach volunteer, who is now a family friend, called my mom and assured her that everything would be ok. Now, four years into my diagnosis, I am confident that T1D will not stop me from accomplishing anything I set my mind to.
I am grateful to live during the best time of T1D care. Insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and fast-acting insulins give me the freedom and flexibility to manage my T1D in a way that fits my lifestyle. The technologies and treatments that I use every day are the results of decades of dedicated support from friends and families like yours and mine – people who love someone with T1D and will not stop fighting until there is a cure.
At 16 years old – I am committed to this fight. I am proud to have participated in a JDRF-funded clinical trial and am inspired to witness research breakthroughs firsthand, including the first-ever disease-modifying therapy for T1D. JDRF has been at the forefront of every major breakthrough for type one diabetes.
None of this vital research can take place without funds and my family is committed to raising dollars for JDRF. JDRF has multiple paths for cures, but medical research is an expensive road. We need donations to fund and progress each step of clinical trials to bring cures out of the lab and to fruition. The only thing slowing us down is the lack of funds.
Please join us in the ballroom on Saturday, May 4 for the Hope Gala, raise your paddle high during Fund A Cure, and please remember a mantra of mine – don’t ask for a miracle unless you are willing to give one. It has taken us all to bring about the progress we have achieved, and it will take EVERYBODY to cure this disease. Miracles happen together.
Fund A Cure donations are 100% tax deductible and directly support JDRF’s mission to fund groundbreaking research to cure, prevent, and treat T1D. If you are not able to attend the Hope Gala, you can still make a difference by contributing via check, donor-advised fund, stock transfer, or online at www.jdrfhopegala.org
Love,
Taylor Hayes
2024 Fund A Cure Speaker
Fund A Cure is an opportunity to make an impact on the lives of people living with T1D and their loved ones through a 100% tax-deductible donation, which will accelerate life-changing research.
Fund A Cure donations will be invested in JDRF’s effective and focused research agenda aimed to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until there is a cure.
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