14/10/2025
Chicago Diabetes Project Reaches Major Fundraising Milestone in the Fight for a Type 1 Diabetes Cure
By: Julia Flaherty
When Jill Dine’s son, Clayton, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at 2 years old, she and her husband turned to diabetes nonprofits to figure out how they could support others navigating the condition. When she landed on the Chicago Diabetes Project (CDP), she and her husband became laser-focused on helping the organization based on its core mission: to find a cure for T1D.
Today, Dine serves as the Executive Director of the CDP.
“All the other diabetes organizations are fantastic,” Dine said. “We love what they can do, but at the CDP, our mission is very clear—to cure type 1.”
That focus brings in supporters like Bridget Meyers, who has been living with T1D for the past four years.
“I was diagnosed when I was 18,” she shared. “It was back on spring break during COVID. I had just moved into my college dorm. I was living by myself and felt like I was going to pass out. It was craziness.”
Running for a Cure
Meyers is part of Cellmates on the Run, the CDP’s marathon team, which has become an integral part of the organization’s identity.
On Sunday, October 12, 2025, around 7:00 AM Central Time, in Grant Park, Meyer ran alongside 49 other runners who shared her commitment to supporting the CDP and the wider diabetes community.
Before the marathon, Meyer shared her hopes for what others see in the Cellmates on race day.
“I hope when I cross the finish line, my loved ones understand that it’s so much bigger than me,” Meyers said. “They see one person, but in reality, I represent the 20 to 30 people who have donated to the marathon to let me run and the millions of people living with diabetes. I hope they see a little piece of all of them as they watch me cross the finish line.”
According to the T1D Index, 9.5 million people worldwide are living with T1D. Most of the Cellmates on the Run share a connection to T1D, often with parents or loved ones running on behalf of a child with the condition. This year, about five to 10 runners on the team actually have T1D.
“In the 14 years that T1D has been a part of my life, I’ve met other people with children or family members with type 1,” Dine said. “We don’t have a big marketing budget, but our social outreach has legs. People say they love running with us. We try to make it a memorable experience.”
“I would never run a marathon unless it was for a fundraiser.”
Meyers can attest to the value of running with the Cellmates.
“The Chicago Diabetes Project really set me up for success,” Meyers shared. “They helped pay for the Fleet Feet training, which made a huge difference. I’m really grateful for them.”
Fleet Feet's training programs provide runners like Meyers with structured plans to help them achieve their fitness goals. Meyers has been running for years, and just a year after her initial diagnosis at age 18, she completed her first half-marathon.
“I told myself I would never run a marathon unless it were for a fundraiser,” she said. “I ran my first half-marathon on my first diabetes anniversary—my diaversary—in 2020. I did it with my roommate. So we made the half-marathon a tribute to type 1 diabetes. It’s been a tradition ever since.”
When Meyers found the Cellmates, she felt called to run more marathons.
“I want to make an impact and also better myself in the process,” she shared. “People hear ‘diabetes,’ and they think that exercise can’t be a part of their life, or they feel hesitant to exercise. And yes, it’s a little more difficult, but it’s always worth moving your body.”
Meyers operates on the philosophy that T1D should never control you.
“If you have goals, it might require extra planning and patience. Maybe an additional month of marathon training to really build a base and get used to running if you’ve never run before. But if you want to do something like this and you’re interested in it, just try it,” she encouraged. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t work out, at least you tried.”
“Living proof people with diabetes can do anything.”
John Sullivan, who has been living with T1D since age 8, echoed Meyers’ sentiment.
This Sunday’s marathon marked Sullivan’s first.
“I was never really the most athletic guy or a runner, nothing like that, but then I thought, why not?” Sullivan shared. “I had an ambition to get involved with diabetes charities for a while. I looked into a few, but what really stood out to me was the Chicago Diabetes Project’s singular mission to find a cure.”
Running with Cellmates won’t be Sullivan’s last contribution to the CDP. In November, for National Diabetes Awareness Month, Sullivan will host a Chicago Bears watch party where funds raised will go directly toward the CDP’s mission.
“We’re going to raffle off Cubs tickets, Seahawks tickets—we’re gathering all the prizes,” Sullivan shared. “We’re bringing people together for a good cause.”
Sullivan hopes participating in the marathon showed his loved ones and the city of Chicago that you can “still accomplish wonderful things in life despite having diabetes.”
“For me, showing them that is more empowering and more rewarding than any medal or finish line,” Sullivan said. “It’s recognizing that we’re living proof people with diabetes can still do great things.”
Effort Means Everything: “He won’t rest until he finds a cure.”
Effort is everything in marathon training, and resilience is crucial in the quest for a cure. The marathon acts as a fundraising vehicle for the CDP. The funds raised through the marathon are solely directed toward cure research.
Dr. Jose Oberholzer, the founder of the CDP, runs in the Chicago Marathon with Cellmates every year. He and his colleagues strongly believe that the scientific community has all the necessary elements to make cell-based therapy a practical option for millions of people living with diabetes.
He has been working tirelessly on these efforts since founding the organization back in 2004. Since then, the organization has never wavered on its crystal-clear mission to find a cure.
The results speak for themselves: The CDP shared that a patient of Dr. Oberholzer has been off insulin for over a decade, managing their health with immunosuppressants. While this outcome marks tremendous progress, the CDP’s ultimate goal is to find a cure that excludes immunosuppressants, which can have other harsh ramifications on the body.
Dr. Oberholzer’s commitment and passion for finding a cure are what initially drew her to the org.
“He never ceases to amaze us,” she shared. “The first time I met him, I was so nervous. I thought he was the most amazing human ever, and I still do. I actually have a picture from one of the first marathons we did with our son, who was probably four or five at the time, looking up at Dr. Oberholzer. He was his hero. Clayton wouldn’t speak to him, but it was still the cutest picture. I cry every time I see it.”
Navigating Setbacks: Pushing for FDA Approvals
COVID delayed the CDP’s efforts for several years as approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) slowed due to the need to fast-track COVID-19 vaccines. Although this setback was frustrating for the CDP team, they recognized a promising future.
In June 2023, the FDA finally approved Latrindra, a breakthrough treatment approved for adults with T1D who experience severe hypoglycemia despite intensive diabetes management and education. This drug is the first FDA-approved allogeneic cellular therapy made from donor pancreatic islet cells for the treatment of T1D.
Dr. Oberholzer, who is the Chair of the Department of Visceral and Transplant Surgery at the University Hospital in Zurich and an Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), played a key role in developing Latindra.
Dr. Oberholzer has been leading the UIC Islet and Pancreas Transplant Program since 2003.
“It’s been amazing to see all this progress that we’ve been making in the past 10 to 15 years,” Dine reflected. “Watching it all come to fruition has been really amazing, and we’re so fortunate to play a part at the CDP.”
Milestones and “Prison Breaks”
This year, Cellmates on the Run fundraised a milestone of $229,000. Dine sees a future where that number continues to grow, expediting the pathway to a cure. She aims to double the number of runners on the CDP marathon team within the coming years.
The CDP recruits runners for the Chicago Spring Half-Marathon, NYC Marathon, and Chicago Marathon each year. Anyone can participate. The CDP is always seeking new, passionate runners to support its mission—one that many members of the diabetes community share: the goal to be cured of diabetes within five years. An old adage deserves a retirement plan.
The Cellmates, while named after islet cells that play a vital role in regulating blood glucose levels and producing hormones like insulin, are sometimes mistaken for incarcerated groups, but don’t let the name confuse you. When referring to the cells in a person’s body, it also brings to mind the prison of T1D, which millions of diabetes community members deserve to break free from.
With the CDP’s help, that future looks possible for current generations.
Interested in getting involved with the Chicago Diabetes Project but unsure where to begin? You can donate, participate in a marathon, fundraise for the organization, or find out if you’re eligible for Islet Cell Transplantation at chicagodiabetesproject.org. For more information, contact Jill Dine via email at jill@chicagodiabetesproject.org.
