Seemingly out of the blue, on April 9, 2015, our oldest of three daughters, Lilly, was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes (“T1D”).  We knew little about this disease and we had no idea that the single greatest life changing event of our collective lives was upon us.  Among other things, Google told us this: T1D is an autoimmune disease in which insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system.  While there are advanced treatments supporting those that live with T1D, there is currently no cure.  While the unknowns were many and the concerns for our child great, Lilly’s calming will and determination was, has been and is currently our guide on what to do.  Don’t wait for others to do the work, the advocacy and the awareness.  We educated ourselves and began to get involved.  

In the Fall of 2015, Team Lillylulu was formed as a walk team, a fundraising team and volunteer vehicle to support JDRF, a leading organization that harnesses the power of research, advocacy and community engagement to advance life changing breakthroughs for T1D.  Over the following five years, Team Lillylulu transformed into an advocacy and awareness team, a fishing team (Big Game Battle), and a 100 mile Trek team through its formation of the Dad’s 100 Mile Trek on Cape Cod, all of which translated to fundraising and personal donating of over $5,700,000 toward T1D causes.  This includes the participation in the T1D Fund (www.t1dfund.org), a venture philanthropy fund focused on advancing private and public investment to create a market in T1D and attract the investment required to find a cure for T1D.

While the disruption of Covid-19 curtailed our 100 Mile Trek platform, it did not dampen our passion to make an impact. In 2022, the decision was made to form the Lillylulu Foundation, a 501c3 public charity that would allow for greater direct investment and impact for the T1D cause, with a focus on care. The Lillylulu Foundation’s partnership with NCO as well as local business leaders and philanthropists has yielded life changing results for T1D patients and families based upon the programs we have developed in conjunction with Boston Children’s Hospital, Outer Cape Health Services and Joslin Diabetes Center.