Hello & Welcome!

We are Caris Lauritsen (left) and Mary Shepherd (right), seniors at Memorial High School in Houston, TX.  We’re not only friends —we both have Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).  Caris was diagnosed at age 1, and Mary at 11.

Like many teenagers, we're juggling the stress of high school and activities.  

But we share a daily burden many don’t understand.  24/7 we must manage our blood sugars with insulin and food, track our numbers, deal with highs and lows, 

and worry about diabetic complications.  Complications like kidney disease, nerve damage and blindness are very real dangers without constant vigilance. 

Unlike Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 is an autoimmune disease affecting roughly 10% of diabetics in the world. There are over 3 million children and adults 

in the USA with T1D and millions more around the globe.  

With T1D, the body attacks its own pancreas, destroying the ability to make insulin for life.  Without daily insulin, we would die, and therefore we must wear insulin pumps (holding in picture) or take multiple daily injections.  Our bodies can’t regulate blood sugar either; so food, stress, illness, exercise and insulin — all send us high and low as we strive to stay in a “normal” range.   It’s exhausting and difficult, and it never goes away. 

Thankfully, through research and technology, we have the continuous glucose monitor. This injected sensor sends blood sugar readings every 5 minutes to our pumps and phones, allowing us to see, adjust and maintain levels easier.  It’s still a lot to manage, and advanced tools are no substitute for a cure.  Type 1, with all its demands and dangers, is with us forever, until a cure is found.  

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is THE charity for Type 1 Diabetics like us. Started in 1970 by parents of Type 1 children, JDRF has provided more than 3 billion dollars to Type 1 research in its 50 years.  JDRF research makes a real difference in our lives.  It currently supports 70+ clinical trials and 500+ research grants for both a Type 1 cure and better treatments.

We want to do our part to fight Type 1.  We need your help! 

Our JDRF fundraising team - “Mary + Caris Crew” - is back 

for our 4th and FINAL year!

For 2023, we’ve committed to raise $10,000 for Type 1 Diabetes Research. 

Please help us reach our goal! Any amount is truly appreciated.  

Make your tax-deductible donation on our JDRF team page:  

https://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?fr_id=9277&pg=team&team_id=337166

Thank you for supporting Mary + Caris Crew and Type 1 Diabetes research! 

Mary Shepherd & Caris Lauritsen