Niagara’s community for those fighting the battle against Type 1 diabetes, and their allies, were at Centennial Sports Park two weeks ago to walk and raise money to find a cure for the life-threatening disease — and, with more than $28,000 raised, everyone involved met their goals.

Breakthrough T1D Walk is a global event aimed at uniting the Type 1 diabetes, or T1D, community while raising money for a cure.

The walk made its way to NOTL on June 21, where 22 teams came together to raise more than $28,000.

Kenny Bradford’s five-year-old daughter, Laina, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last year. Bradford said that while life with diabetes has its challenges, such as monitoring and balancing insulin, the newfound community has been the silver lining.

“We’re new to all of this, but it’s great to meet other families going through the same thing,” Bradford said.

Laina’s team had 30 members and a fundraising goal of $3,000. Laina’s Sweet Fighters doubled that goal by the end of the event, raising $6,762.

Bradford, the team captain, said the best part about the event was swapping stories with other families. It was his family’s first year participating in the walk, but he said he doesn’t want it to be the last.

Another team, Greta’s GO Team!, raised $6,059, surpassing its goal of $5,000. Team captain Ann Deuerlein was a member of the organization committee for the event.

Her 13-year-old daughter, Greta, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes four years ago and marked her third year as a junior ambassador at the walk last weekend.

“[Greta] works as an advocate, so she’s teaching and mentoring other kids who are dealing with it, especially newly-diagnosed children,” Deuerlein said.

Greta gave a speech about her experience living with Type 1 diabetes at the walk and pursued other fundraising projects leading up to the big day.

One initiative she took was making pins and magnets to raise awareness about the disease. Combined with other fundraising activities, such as a bake sale, the crafts helped raise $1,200 for Greta’s GO Team!

Team Shannon was the third highest-earning team, raising $4,016 and beating its goal of $600. Shannon Scholman worked alongside Deuerlein to organize the walk in NOTL.

Amanda Brown, development manager at Breakthrough T1D Canada, said 70 per cent of the funds raised at the walks are given to researchers in the Type 1 diabetes field.

Potential recipients write applications explaining their research before being evaluated by a team of medical professionals, she explained.

A portion of the funds, 30 per cent, goes toward other projects related to Type 1 diabetes maintenance and care, such as mental health support.

“We recognized that it’s not just about finding a cure, but it’s also about diabetes management,” Brown said.

For her, the walks are an opportunity to bring the Type 1 diabetes community together and find support for each person’s medical journey.

“Type one is what we call a 24/7 disease,” she said. “What’s great about the walk is you can come and know nobody, but by the time you leave three hours later, you’ve made a friend.”

The Niagara walk was three kilometres and lasted around 30 minutes, which was followed by a raffle contest. Prizes ranged from gift cards to planters to board games.

The event also included a family fun zone, where kids, mostly those tired from the heat and the walk, played carnival-style games and had their faces painted.

The entire event’s fundraising goal, $15,000, was almost doubled by Niagara’s Type 1 diabetes community.

Brown said this success is no surprise as, by nature, the community comes together and shows up for one another.

“People recognize that it takes a group of people, an army, to help you get through Type 1 diabetes […] they know there are no days off and that everybody needs support.”