“Awesome night at Lucas Oil Stadium connecting great families and professionals fighting diabetes,” said Malissa. Pictured: Garrison Family – Malissa, Dave, Clayton (10 years with T1D) and siblings.
On January 13, Will’s Way, along with JDRF, American Diabetes Association and the Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana , were invited by Roche Diagnostics Corporation to participate in its Family Fun Day at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Seeking to bring a smile to the faces of 50 families who live with type 1 diabetes 24 hours a day, Roche hosted an event where its employees could visit with children suffering from type 1 diabetes and their families.
The children and families were encouraged to run through the Indianapolis’ Colts tunnel and onto the field where they participated in numerous activities such as punting, passing, corn hole, posing for a caricature artist and of course, pictures with Blue, the Colts mascot. Afterwards, the families were given the special treat of touring the locker rooms, training rooms and press box.
“Diabetes is a disease we all hate that doesn’t have many fun days. But today, oh today! Thank you to the people at Roche, we got to be completely spoiled for two hours,” said Brooke Wilson, mother of 10-year-old-type-1-diabetic, Jaden Wilson.
The Will’s Way staff helped Roche put faces and names to the consumers they help. We are thankful to them and other companies like them who care about the communities they serve. The leadership team at Roche wanted to add a personal side to their training week. We think they succeeded!
“As a parent, I would say seeing so many faces that work behind the scenes for the health and well-being for those living with type 1 was humbling. The Roche employees were genuinely involved and invested in making the afternoon a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience,” said Kaleesha Thompson, parent of participating child.
The children and families who participated in Family Fun Day created memories that will last a lifetime. We won the day and type 1 diabetes lost.
“It honestly made me feel really special,” said Philip Thompson, 15-year-old-type-1 –diabetic.
