Dear Friends and Family,

We are honored to announce that our family has been selected to be the featured Fund A Cure Family at the Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) Gala on March 1, 2025.

Our journey with type 1 diabetes (T1D) began on December 8, 2020, when Wyatt was 5 years old. At that time, Wyatt’s autism made it difficult for him to effectively communicate his symptoms or needs, but we noticed he gradually developed excessive thirst and started wetting the bed, which was something he hadn’t done in years. Our concerns led us to take him in, and he was diagnosed with type 1. Thankfully we caught it early, but he didn’t understand why we suddenly needed to poke his fingers to test his blood sugar and inject insulin multiple times per day. It was the hardest day of all our lives and the beginning of a new normal for all of us.

In December 2022, Steph felt more exhausted than usual but attributed that to having a busy schedule and lack of sleep from managing Wyatt’s diabetes. She also lost 10 pounds unintentionally but thought it was just from being sick earlier in the month. Just after New Years, she was assisting in surgery late into the night when she noticed she was extremely thirsty, and her vision became blurry. The lightbulb went off that these symptoms probably meant she had diabetes too. She checked her blood sugar when she got home, and it was 568. She was diagnosed with T1D, just two years after Wyatt.

During this time, we had multiple people from Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) reach out to us. We met other families, heard their stories and their struggles, and no longer felt alone.

Breakthrough T1D is a global diabetes research and advocacy organization working to make everyday life better for people with type 1, with the end goal of developing a cure. They connect the brightest minds to advance treatments, influence policy, and improve access to care. By driving innovation forward, we believe, they will cure T1D for everyone, including Wyatt and Steph. We would be grateful if you would consider attending the One Night, One Mission Breakthrough T1D Gala that will take place on March 1st in Appleton.

This event will be an inspirational evening in support of diabetes research. Our family will be featured at the event and will be speaking in support of the Fund A Cure initiative. Our goal is to find a cure for type 1 diabetes in our lifetime.

Please consider any level of support that makes sense for you; this can take the form of purchasing individual tickets, hosting a table, donating an auction item, or making a Fund A Cure contribution. Your tax-deductible gift will make a difference in the lives of every person who faces the daily challenges of T1D.

On behalf of our entire family, we are extremely humbled to be selected as the Fund A Cure Family, and we thank you in advance for your generous support.

With all our love and appreciation,

The Knapps