BOSTON, MA (February 12, 2025) – The Lillylulu Foundation and T1D Action are joining together in a strategic partnership to accelerate their shared mission to provide better care to people living with type one diabetes (T1D).  Led by John Lashar and Sean Doherty, these two organizations will capitalize on their long relationship and complementary strengths to supercharge impact through targeted grants to healthcare institutions in direct support of under-resourced T1D medical provider teams. Their work will begin by building partner and financial support in the Boston area, with a goal of providing care augmentation blueprints to committed T1D philanthropists and activists around the country.

T1D is an autoimmune disease affecting 2 million Americans, more than half of whom are diagnosed as children. T1D destroys the body’s ability to produce insulin naturally in the pancreas. Patients living with T1D rely on 24/7 infusions or injections of insulin and navigate constant balancing of blood sugar and insulin levels, which impact – and are impacted by – every aspect of daily life. Normal medical appointments can only do so much, as patients and families affected by T1D are largely left on their own to manage this complicated disease.

Lillylulu has its roots in the rallying of family and community around Lilly Lashar, who was diagnosed at the age of 13 in 2015.  The Foundation recently announced the establishment of the T1D Innovation Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital, a multi-year program that will supplement sector-leading provider care with extra moral and practical support from dedicated Diabetes Resource Nurses financed by Lillylulu. These professionals will proactively reach out to high-risk families and provide patients and their families with access to and education on T1D care and technology, navigating the byzantine insurance system, and providing desperately needed mentorship for this relentless disease. Lillylulu sponsors a similar program at Outer Cape Health Services, and it will announce in the coming weeks a third major new institutional program. The Lillylulu movement has expanded from a passionate core of supporters on Cape Cod [ten] years ago to become an emerging impact vehicle in T1D in the Boston area, raising millions of dollars from hundreds of supporters, with a focused strategy and market-leading efficiency. 

Motivated by their son Finn, who has lived with T1D since 2002, T1D Action was founded by Suzy and Sean Doherty in 2023 to shine a light on the gap between the real lives of patients and families affected by T1D and the services our healthcare system is able to provide. For the past 22 years, Suzy has used her experience to help countless mothers navigate the complexities of life with T1D, including overcoming the obstacles created by the system itself. Sean is the founder and former Chair of the T1D Fund, an innovative venture philanthropy fund that has catalyzed well over $1 billion private venture capital and biotech financing of T1D cure therapeutics. After eight years of fund leadership, he pivoted to focusing on T1D care and has interviewed nearly 100 patients, family members and providers affected by T1D to inform new and innovative ways to improve care. Mr. Doherty will join the board of directors of Lillylulu as part of the strategic partnership.

Co-Founder and President of Lillylulu, John Lashar, said, “I am thrilled to formalize a relationship with Sean and Suzy, who have been a source of strength to my wife Debi and me since Lilly’s diagnosis. Suzy and Debi will work together to build the clinical programs supported by Lillylulu now and in the future.” Lilly Lashar, Co-Founder and Director of Lillylulu, added,  “Sean’s perspective from months of probing interviews with patients, families, and providers have already informed the design of our existing work, and his proven track record of building a national coalition for impact in T1D offers a tremendous opportunity for Lilliylulu to strengthen its base in Boston and offer a blueprint for better care across the country.”       

T1D Action President Sean Doherty, said, “The Lashar family, together with the entire Lillylulu team, is a force of nature. They have created an effort motivated by love and community and have strategically grown their base of support to a sustainable and impactful scale that has already meaningfully improved the lives of hundreds of people living with T1D. Their focus on donor efficiency and real, measurable impact defines the entire committed team at Lillylulu.  Suzy and I are proud and grateful to become a part of the platform they have created, and we look forward to drawing on our resources and experience to help supercharge its mission.”

About the Lillylulu Foundation, Inc.: The Lillylulu Foundation, Inc. (www.lillylulufoundation.org) is a 100% volunteer based 501(c)(3) organization that has been created to harness the generosity and focus of T1D donors and influencers to have an efficient, meaningful and direct impact on the T1D community.  The impact we strive for is to be a contributor to address systematic deficiencies in care (physical and mental) by improving outcomes for those diagnosed with T1D.  As parents and friends of T1D’s, our mission is rooted in providing direct gifts in focused  on impactful and actionable outcomes.  We seek partners and organizations with innovative ideas and those areas that we believe are underfunded within our foundation’s focus to create relationships that allow us to drive influence and positive outcomes for our T1D community.  Making as great an impact as possible is at the core of why the Lillylulu Foundation has been created by the family of a T1D young lady named Lilly.  

About T1D Action: T1D Action is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing better care to people living with T1D and their families.  It focuses on the intractable systemic problems our health care system faces in fully treating people with T1D, a challenge seen across chronic disease care in the United States.