EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – A little rain Saturday morning couldn’t stop hundreds of people from turning out for the annual JDRF One Walk at People’s Park on Michigan State’s campus.
The JDRF One Walk is the largest fundraiser for Type 1 Diabetes anywhere in the world. Walks like the one at MSU have raised over two billion dollars in total over the past 30 years.
“We’ve had more people show up this year than we did last year which is awesome,” said Jillian Crane, the JDRF Development Director for Michigan and Northern Ohio. “And just like how Type 1 Diabetes doesn’t stop, the rain’s not going to stop anybody from coming out, so we will be here.”
Crane got involved with JDRF after her son, Trace Breneman, was diagnosed with T1D when he was just two years old.
“I have to wear an insulin pump and I have to manage my sugars constantly,” said Breneman.
For people like Breneman living with T1D, insulin and sugar monitoring can help them live a healthy lifestyle. However, there remains no cure for T1D.
Michigan State football has partnered with the JDRF One Walk for years, dating back to Mark Dantonio’s tenure.
Sparty, Mel Tucker and several players and assistant coaches were on hand Saturday morning to take pictures, sign autographs, interact with fans and help raise money.
Through this event and a former player named Spencer Rowland who lived with the disease, Tucker said he’s learned a lot about T1D in recent years.
“It’s a lot more common than I thought and it affects a lot of people, and really, really young people as well,” said Tucker. “We need money and we need research dollars to help fight it.”
Saturday’s event raised over $200,000.
