A Plano resident is co-leading this year’s Breakthrough T1D Dallas Walk, an annual fundraiser bringing North Texas families together to support research, advocacy and treatment for type 1 diabetes.

Planoite John Dillon and Sarah Morris are serving as co-chairs of the Nov. 7 event at Grandscape in The Colony, which will feature a 1.5-mile walk, family activities and celebrations honoring those living with the autoimmune disease.

For Dillon, the cause is personal. His youngest daughter, Lauren, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 19 during her freshman year of college. After experiencing symptoms that initially went unrecognized, she was hospitalized with blood sugar levels in the 700s.

With no family history of the disease, the diagnosis came as a surprise to the Dillon family, who quickly learned about the physical and emotional demands of managing type 1 diabetes.

Over the past three years, the family has become involved with Breakthrough T1D, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Lauren has volunteered and interned with the organization and is now pursuing a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership, a path influenced in part by her experience with the disease.

Now, Dillon, his wife, Elisha, and their family are helping lead the annual walk to support others navigating similar diagnoses.

“Every dollar and every step go toward expanding physical and mental health resources, funding a cure, and raising the awareness this disease deserves,” Dillon said.

More than 1.5 million Americans live with type 1 diabetes, a number projected to reach 2 million by 2040. Breakthrough T1D supports research aimed at improving treatments, preventing complications and ultimately finding cures.

The Nov. 7 event opens at 8 a.m. with activities, entertainment and community resources. An opening ceremony at 9 a.m. will include a parade honoring people living with type 1 diabetes and a flag ceremony recognizing attendees’ personal connections to the disease. The walk begins at 9:30 a.m.

Other activities include a community wall where participants can share messages of encouragement, a display highlighting milestones in diabetes research and signs honoring local residents living with type 1 diabetes. Refreshments and family activities will follow the walk.