Above: A teen who was diagnosed with Type 1/juvenile diabetes is tackling her 4th big bike trip with her father to raise funds for a cure or better treatments. (photos contributed and from fundraising page)
This Saturday, two Southborough residents will bike 100 miles to raise funds to help “fuel T1D breakthroughs”.
For those unfamiliar, T1D stands for Type 1 Diabetes. It’s a condition that 18 year old Claire Devlin was diagnosed with at the age of 3.
As she posted on her fundraising page, she’s had to deal with:
15 years of needle pokes, carb counting, and endocrinologist appointments.
On the upside, she’s proud to have proven to herself that she’s “capable of doing things that are difficult”. This will be her 4th fundraising ride for the non-profit “Breakthrough T1D” (including under it’s former name “JDRF”, the Juvenile Diabetes Research foundation).
The teen will be joined by her father Russ. On his fundraising page, he writes:
While Type 1 diabetes can be managed with modern technologies like continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps, it remains a dangerous condition that requires constant attention, and even now Type 1 claims too many lives prematurely. We believe a cure, or at least something close to it, is tantalizingly within reach
The father-daughter duo previously participated in two rides in Burlington, VT and one in LaCrosse Wisconsin. They’ve been training all year to prepare for the upcoming 100 mile bike journey.
Claire’s interest and inspiration for taking on the challenge dates back to her mother Barb’s participation in rides in 2013 and 2015 for the foundation.
This summer, she finished her freshman year at Northwestern University, where she’s studying Biomedical Engineering. Claire tells me, “Having T1D and managing my own medical devices has inspired my interest in improving medical treatments for diseases.”
You can support her fundraiser here, and Russ’ fundraiser here.
