Team DRI event in Seaford to raise funds for diabetes

John Carrion, the northeast board chairman of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, is getting the word out about an annual event for runners, walkers and bike riders at Seaford’s Cedar Creek Park on Sept 14.

The Team DRI Walk/Run/Ride will help raise money and awareness of the organization’s pursuit of a cure for juvenile, or Type 1, diabetes. Starting at the park and heading in the direction of Jones Beach State Park, participants can select a pace and distance of their preference.

According to Carrion, the park’s scenic walkway offers a much more pleasant experience than busy local roads.

“Riding in traffic is like a white-knuckle event,” Carrion said. “You don’t want traffic. You want to make it safe for everyone. This event is for everyone — bike riders, walkers, little kids. It’s a safe environment.”

The foundation is a nonprofit corporation whose goal is to fund research to find a biological cure for Type 1 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 38.4 million people in the United States have diabetes, or around 11.6 percent of the population.

Since its inception in 2019, the event at Cedar Creek Park has raised over $250,000, Carrion said. Last year’s event drew around 125 participants, and collected over $100,000. Next weekend, he said, the hope is to attract a field of 250 or more and raise even more money.

“I'd love to hit the $150,000 mark,” he said.

For Carrion, finding a cure for the disorder is a personal mission. In 2002, his 4-year-old son, Jake, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. After that, John got involved with Breakthrough T1D, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a nonprofit that funds Type 1 research, by taking part in one of the organization’s walks.

“I went to this walk — my wife was still a little too emotional — and I went into Manhattan, and it was thousands and thousands of people doing this walk,” Carrion recalled. “It was the first time I’m like, ‘These people know what I’m going through.’”

Eventually he found out about the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, and in 2019 he started the Team DRI event. The inaugural gathering was just a bike ride, but it grew into a walk, run and ride so more people, of all physical and athletic abilities, could get involved, and do what was comfortable for them.

The Nassau County Legislature’s minority leader, Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, is helping Carrion organize the event. DeRiggi-Whitton said she has known him for over two decades, because her child was diagnosed with diabetes around the same time as Jake Carrion.

“As parents of young children with diabetes, we have both been intently focused on finding a cure and conquering this disease once and for all,” DeRiggi-Whitten wrote in a news release. “I am so proud of all that John has done, and I encourage everyone to join us at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford for what promises to be an amazing event in support of a cause that is near and dear to all of us.”

According to Carrion, the treatment and care for diabetes have improved significantly since Jake’s diagnosis thanks to technological advances. The quality of life for his son, and millions of his fellow diabetics, has improved as well, thanks to fundraising efforts like the Walk/Run/Ride.

“You're not alone,” Carrion said. “There’s a community out there, there’s outreach, we can help with care, and we can help with raising money, so you’re not alone.”

For information about the event or to becoming a sponsor, go to diabetesresearch.org/walkrunride2024.