Scarsdale Couple to be Honored by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Although she raised more than $250,000 over the past 7 years for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF is the largest private funder of type 1 diabetes research), Lisa Gans was surprised when she got the call that she and her husband were nominated as the honorees for this year's JDRF Gala. Her one stipulation: that the dress code be changed from black tie to cocktail attire because her husband and she like to keep things low-key.

Lisa got involved with fundraising for JDRF in 2008 when her husband, Jeremy, who was diagnosed with the life-long disease at age 5, decided to ride in the JDRF "Ride to Cure Diabetes." Jeremy had not been involved with JDRF since his childhood. But when he happened to see a table-mate at a cancer fundraiser whip out her pump to give herself insulin before eating, he struck up a conversation and discovered she was training for the JDRF Ride. He decided to join her and Lisa jumped in to raise more than $15,000. They found it to be the most rewarding event of their lives.

The next year was 2009 and the global financial crisis had taken its toll. Feeling uncomfortable about asking friends and family to donate to Jeremy's ride again, Lisa decided to host a carnival in her backyard and raise money that way. She took what would have been their own personal annual $10,000 JDRF donation and invested it in a carnival company, prizes, food and new sod, and their backyard carnival was born.

That first carnival raised more than $20,000 in donations; by 2012, they were raising more than double that. With 6 carnivals in total, they have raised more than $250,000. Now the whole town of Scarsdale anticipates the event as the kick-off to summer and looks forward to contributing to a worthy cause while having loads of fun.

T1D is an autoimmune disease in which a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone people need to get energy from food. T1D strikes both children and adults and has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. There is currently nothing you can do to prevent it. People with T1D must regularly monitor their blood sugar level, inject or continually infuse insulin through a pump, and carefully balance their insulin doses with eating and daily activities throughout the day and night. However, insulin is not a cure for diabetes, and even with intensive disease management, a significant portion of the day is still spent with either high or low blood sugar levels, placing people with T1D at risk for devastating complications such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, and amputation.

What is Lisa's biggest wish as honoree? That research will one day make her husband's life easier. "He doesn't know what it's like to be free of worry. Type 1 diabetes is so all-consuming, so constant. Even one day without diabetes would be a gift."

About the JDRF Westchester and Fairfield Gala
Date: May 7, 2016
Location: Hyatt Regency, Greenwich, CT
This annual fundraising event, with dinner and dancing, attracts an audience of about 450 guests and businesses from both Westchester and Fairfield Counties and features an exciting evening of entertainment, silent and live auctions and JDRF's Fund A Cure. A goal of $725,000 is set for the evening as JDRF seeks to make a significant impact on T1D research.
Tickets are available here: