Three hundred twenty five people attended the JDRF Type 1 Diabetes Night with the San Francisco Giants on June 15th. The evening kicked-off with a family tailgate party featuring Back Forty Texas BBQ, a bounce house, face painting and balloons for the kids.
Pre-game Tailgate
Exhibitors such as My Flying Star Medical Jewelry, Dog 4 Diabetics, UCSF Trial Net, Diabetes Society, and TuDiabetes.com kept parents busy. Meanwhile, a group of type 1 adults (with their nearest and dearest) enjoyed a pre-game happy hour in the stadium.
Adult Type 1 Happy Hour
Associate Executive Director, Lisa Alejandre welcomed the crowd on behalf of JDRF before introducing the special guest of the evening – Matt Vogel. Matt is a passionate triathlete, director and member of the Team Type 1 Triathlon Team, founder of Insulin Factor (a nonprofit organization that spreads diabetes awareness through athletics and leadership) and currently works as a product manager with Abbott Diabetes Care.
Featured speaker, Matt Vogel
Matt gave an inspiring talk about his experience in the 2007 biking competition Race Across America. Winning the race was the high point of his life to date. “When we crossed the finish line together, 8 of us with type 1 diabetes coming into Atlantic City, that was exciting. Winning Race Across America and setting the record made all the months of hard work and preparation well worth it.” He asked the audience not to let diabetes stop them from doing what they dream of.
And then it was game time! All attendees sat together in the rambunctious left field bleachers and had a “ball.”
