2025 was a real mixed bag in our house.
My wife retired.
I was fired.
A grandbaby arrived.
A new job was found.
Our daughter moved closer to us.
My son found a new job.
Some friends passed, and some new friends were found.
Life, doing what life does.
If I’m honest, fired is probably a tad too sharp. Like so many across the land, my work with the DRI Foundation was impacted by cutbacks, and I was let go. I was told, more than once, “There’s nothing wrong with what you were doing.” A sign of the times, they said.
Still—it hurt.
How could it not?
I didn’t get into this work for a job, and I certainly wasn’t leaving it as a job either. And then, a short time later, Touched by Type 1 (TBT1), a wonderful diabetes nonprofit out of Orlando, made me an offer. Too much to do to sit back. Too many families still waiting. So here I am, ready to work and back at it.
It is different helping people live with Type 1 diabetes rather than focusing solely on raising money for a cure. But TBT1 funds research too, and that sealed the deal for me.
And yet, here comes the reality check.
Another year has come and gone, and Kaitlyn and Rob still live with Type 1 diabetes. So do millions more, just like them. Which means all of our collective work must continue.
It’s also my hope that a more collaborative spirit takes hold. You may not like every aspect of every organization, and that’s fine, but listening to the same harping on the same dislikes is getting a tad tiring. If you’re chiming in to change the tide and no one is listening, perhaps redirecting that energy to a place where a positive impact can be made might be worth considering. No?
Goodness knows I’ve used the phrase “Just Don’t Do Nothing” for a million years. If you’re still on the sidelines—still—and want to feel like your energy is truly helping your loved one in the diabetes fight, get up and get moving. No matter how small.
Can’t find somewhere worthy of your talents? Call me. I’ll find a place for you.
Because at the end of the day, no one else is picking up this diabetes cause and running with it.
You.
Me.
That’s it.
And I will tell you this: when you do step in, you’ll find a remarkable group of people with like-minded goals, all focused on one thing; helping their loved ones battle diabetes every single day.
…And that’s what it’s all about, Charlie Brown.
I’m a diabetes dad.
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