This week, Andrew Brilliant is raising money for awareness for Type 1 Diabetes. The occasion? Its his 21st birthday. Here is his story:
“I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 8. Now 21, I have dedicated my life to supporting, advocating, and advancing T1D: I research it in college, I mentor children and families with T1D, I am writing a movie about the disease, and I even have it tattooed on my left arm.
For my birthday, I am raising $21k to support Beyond Type 1, an organization devoted to fostering progress in the T1D community. If my fundraising goal is met by October 28, 2020, I will compete in an Olympic Triathlon this Spring to demonstrate my dedication – 1.5km Swim, 40km Cycle, 10km Run.
I am regularly exposed to the various stigmas surrounding Type 1 Diabetes — that it is preventable, curable by dieting, caused by unhealthy life choices. One of my hopes with this fundraiser is to do a small part in lessening these stigmas. I want to prove that people with Type 1 Diabetes truly can accomplish the most demanding achievements, physically and mentally. Sure, we might have to be more creative in how we do so, but to me that makes the experience all the more worthwhile.
Show some love for T1D; it’s good sugar.”
