When you’re two, the biggest hurdles in your life should be learning new words, recognizing shapes and colors, kicking and throwing a ball. But for Evie Cecy, much bigger challenges came her way. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2012 at the age of two and a half. “She showed all the signs, drinking excessively, losing a lot of weight and appearing lethargic. But she was also happy and having a great time while we were visiting my parents in Montana so we did not realize how sick she was. When we returned home we thought she had the flu. Her pediatrician suspected T1D. After we had her blood tested at the hospital they told us to head straight to Stanford and if we weren’t able to they would Medi Flight her.” recalls her mother Staci Cecy. Staci and her husband Tim quickly learned the day-to-day management of T1D and Evie has been remarkably resilient.

Last year, the family participated in their first Walk to Cure Diabetes. Staci, Tim and their oldest daughter Ryan rallied friends and relatives and formed a team of  twenty-four members. To gear up for the Walk, they attended the Kick Off at T1D Night with the San Francisco Giants that summer. “Evie was beyond excited to see all the other people there with T1D,” says Staci. “Team Evie” raised nearly $3,500 that first year. “Our family supports the Walk not only to raise money for research but to raise awareness and educate others about this disease,” says Staci. “If you are not personally affected by T1D in some way it’s hard to really understand what this diagnosis means.”

Now four and a half, Evie bravely faces the challenges of T1D every day, even as she achieves the milestones of a typical four-year-old, such as learning to swim and starting preschool. “We’ve been slowly meeting other families affect by T1D, so it’s fun to connect with them and to see Evie exited to be around these other kids living life like she is. She loves meeting anyone who lives with T1D,” says Staci. “She wants to have a good time. She’s a party girl.”

To register for one of the four 2014 JDRF Walks taking place around the San Francisco Greater Bay Area in the month of October, visit walk.jdrf.org.