Tilly Stimpson Raises Over $8,000 For Type 1 Diabetes Research

Tilly Stimpson, a grade 9 student at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, has raised over $8,000 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) after being chosen as one of their 100 Ambassadors of History.

2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the first injection of insulin.

To mark the milestone JDRF is hosting the ‘Lets Make History Again Campaign’ which aims to raise money that will fund valuable research to fund a cure for Type One Diabetes.

The 100 Ambassadors of History, which is the group Stimpson is a part of, is a special group of Canadians who will each host their own fundraiser to contribute to the campaign.

Stimpson decided that this year she would fundraise online and climb the 100 steps of the Lift Locks for every $100 raised.

“Initially our goal was $1,000,” said Jo, Tilly’s mother. “When we broke that we just kept upping the goal. And now $8,000 - that’s unbelievable. Every other time we’ve fundraised we usually tapped out around $2,500, we are just blown away.”

Stimpson noted how grateful she was to those that donated, especially with everything going on in the world.

“I can’t believe how much I’ve raised, especially during COVID and the war. I know people have been struggling through that so I just really cannot believe how much I’ve raised.”

As one of the 100 Ambassadors of History, Stimpson had the opportunity to visit one of the five ‘Leaders in History’ a top a flagpole in Toronto.

The Leaders in History are five chosen Canadians living with Type 1 Diabetes that camp a top flagpoles in five different cities, for 100 hours, or until $15 million is raised.

Stimpson was lifted into the 40-foot flagpole and had the chance to talk to Vanessa Oliver, Toronto’s Leader in History, who’s father started the tradition of the flagpole campout 32 years ago, when his daughter was diagnosed with T1D.

Stimpson will continue to accept donations to her campaign until the end of May.

She says while the money raised will contribute to valuable research, she mainly wants to raise awareness about the disease she lives with daily.

“I want to raise awareness, obviously people know about diabetes - but they need to know more - especially kids at school,” said Stimpson.

Both Tilly and Jo agree that people often think Type One Diabetes and Type Two Diabetes are the same thing. Though in reality, T1D has nothing to do with lifestyle or diet, it’s simply due to the pancreas’s inability to create insulin, they say.

“Research needs money,” said Jo. “This amount of money they’ve raised is significant. I feel like we’re close. I know everyone always says that, but I really think we are. Lives are being improved. It may not be a cure yet, but lives are being improved for sure.”

To donate to Stimpson’s cause, click here. To follow along on Tilly’s journey on Instagram follow her @diabetes.the.bully

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Peterborough Girl's Video On Raising Awareness For Type 1 Diabetes Has Nearly 27,000+ Facebook Views

Ten-year-old Peterborough girl Tilly Stimpson is hoping to return to Parliament Hill in October for Kids For A Cure Lobby day—they were there in November 2016 for this bi-annual event—to lobby once again for Type 1 Diabetes. Both Tilly and her father Matt have the disease.

As part of her application process for the special day, Tilly had to produce a video which her Dad posted to his Facebook page that has now garnered nearly 27,000 views and counting already (scroll down to watch it below).

Tilly (pictured with her dog, Olive) is making a great impact on raising awareness about living with Type 1 diabetes

"We are thrilled with the reaction the video has received, and even more thrilled with the support of people through their comments on social media," Tilly's mother Joanna tells PTBOCanada. "We’ve been showing Tilly the responses and she is really excited by the number—she checks every day to see the counter go up!"

"Tilly had such a great experience at the last event in 2016, and was was keen to apply again this year. They changed the application process slightly in that she had to produce a 60 second video in addition to the online application and a bio she had to write," Joanna adds.

The family chose an angle about research in the video as this is the part Tilly, who was diagnosed at two and a half, feels is most important. Without research, they won’t find a cure to this very misunderstood disease which is often compared to Type 2 diabetes.

"Lobbying the government for money is not just about funding research, it’s also about making the life saving supplies needed accessible to everyone," Joanna tells PTBOCanada. "Not every province covers the pump and the standard of care differs everywhere (even on a school by school basis). Tilly is about to take part in a clinical trial at Sunnybrook for a new insulin."

The Stimpson family have been advocating for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) since Tilly was first diagnosed, and her school has raised $12,000 and the Stimpson family $32,000 through the generous support of the community.

After Kids for a Cure in October which Tilly hopes to be accepted for again, the family is part of a local chapter hosting a JDRF fundraising event "Cuisine For A Cure" at the Venue on November 9th. More info on that event can be found here.

Watch (and keep) sharing Tilly's powerful video below...

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A Peterborough Girl With Type 1 Diabetes Just Rocked Parliament Hill To Give Voice To Kids For A Cure

Peterborough's Matt Stimpson and his daughter Tilly, 8—both of whom have Type 1 diabetes—just returned along with her mother Jo from an amazing two days on Parliament Hill where Tilly was one of 25 children from across Canada selected to attend Kids for a Cure Lobby day at Parliament Hill.

Bottom row: Tilly pictured second from left at Parliament Hill

During her visit there, Tilly met with Members of Parliament and Senators to show them the face of diabetes, share her personal journey with them about living with diabetes, and ask them to invest in clinical trials to help find a cure.

Tilly (pictured far right with her father, Matt) meeting with MPs

The Stimpson family have been advocating for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) since Tilly was diagnosed at the age of two and a half. They raised more than $20,000 for JDRF over the past five years with the tremendous support of the giving community in Peterborough.

Tilly bottom row (second from left) pictured with the rest of the kids and their parents from across Canada

Tilly wants to make a difference for those living with Type 1 diabetes, and she's having a great impact. Her goal was to raise $500 for JDRF this year but with the help of this amazing community, she far exceeded it, raising a whopping $2,739.

"I'm very proud of the work that Tilly Stimpson and her family are doing to raise awareness about Type 1 diabetes," says Maryam Monsef, who met with Tilly during her visit. "Many of my colleagues told me that they were impressed with Tilly's advocacy work, and that she is a great ambassador for all Canadians who live with Type 1 diabetes every day."

Tilly meeting with Maryam Monsef on Parliament Hill

The Stimpson family and the other families even got a wave from Prime Minister Trudeau during Question Period when they were sitting in the Gallery:

"I wanted to be sure to share Tilly's story with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau so on Monday just before Question Period, I pointed out the family as they were sitting in the gallery," Monsef tells PTBOCanada. "As I shared their story with him, he gave the Stimpsons and the other families participating in 'Kids for a Cure Day' a wave from the floor of the House of Commons. I can't wait to see the good work that Tilly will do in our community."

It was a trip to Ottawa Matt and Jo Stimpson will never forget, as these proud parents witnessed their daughter Tilly give voice to Kids For A Cure on Parliament Hill.

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