Age: 5
Age at T1D diagnosis: 1

Joel was diagnosed at just 22 months. In the early days of his disease, Joel’s parents found it difficult to regulate his blood-sugar levels. Even with precise carbohydrate counting, his blood sugar would drop so sharply in the middle of the night that his parents stopped giving him nighttime insulin, and now use an insulin pump instead.

The family embraced other changes to manage Joel’s disease. They moved from Connecticut to North Carolina, and his mom began working from home, just five minutes away from Joel’s school. They’re active in the Triangle/Eastern North Carolina Chapter, and established a Facebook group for sharing resources with other families. Says mom Melissa, “Support for type 1 diabetes research makes a difference in the lives of millions of people. Research is the only hope we have for enhancing current therapies and finding a cure.”