In 2017 we met Kirstie and Justin Bradway and their son, Gavin. Kirstie told us that, “ My husband Justin lives with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and from the day my oldest son was born, I’ve lived in a constant state of paranoia that one of our children would also develop diabetes.” Then on September 20, 2015, Kirstie’s greatest fear became a reality when at just 2 1/2 years old, Gavin was diagnosed with T1D.
The Bradways had no choice over diabetes invading their house but they made the decision to own it and take control. Thanks to JDRF funded research, Gavin was able to go to kindergarten wearing his continuous glucose monitor so he could focus on his ABCs instead of his BGs (blood glucose).
Then, in 2019, just a day after Christmas, Gavin’s older brother Trevor told Kirstie that lately he had been peeing a lot and had been really thirsty. Just to see, they checked his BG. A normal BG is around 90. Trevor’s read 600. Kirstie told us, “It's like my whole world stopped moving in that moment. The terrified look on my little 8 year old's face is something I will never forget. He knew exactly what that number meant and there was absolutely nothing I could do to make it go away. Trevor isn't an affectionate person. He doesn't hug, he doesn't cuddle, he doesn't hold your hand. When that result of 600 came up, he lunged into my arms so fast and squeezed me tighter than he has ever done before. My heart shattered into a million pieces.” Gavin helped Trevor immensely and was a huge support as Trevor now also had to wear an insulin pump on his body 24/7.
In September 2020, Kirstie shared with us some more news. “My sweet baby girl. My best friend. My little sidekick in everything I do. The last one of all 3 of our babies I thought would be spared this terrible disease that consumes so much of our lives already. Savannah's bloodwork came back and she tested positive for 3 out of the 4 autoantibodies markers for T1D. There is a 95%+ chance that our girl will eventually end up getting type 1. It hasn't ‘officially’ happened yet, but knowing that there is a less than 5% chance of her not getting it is completely earth shattering to us. Her pancreas could slowly stop working in a month or it could stop in 2 years. There is no way for us to know. Our hearts are completely broken and both Justin and I have cried on and off all day the past 2 days. We both know this isn't the end of the world. We see our boys living their best life and he himself living his, but the fact that our last and final baby most likely won't be spared this lifelong disease doesn't even seem imaginable right now.”
The need for funding and supporting the T1D community has never been greater. COVID-19 has had a direct and devastating impact on our research. JDRF has funded virtually every major breakthrough in diabetes research and we cannot let these times set our progress back.
Donations provide JDRF with the dollars needed to move game-changing therapies and technologies out of the lab and into the waiting hands of people with T1D and people like Justin, Gavin, Trevor, and Savannah Bradway. JDRF needs our support, now more than ever, and I hope you will consider a donation this holiday season.
