T1D to the Third Uplifts Youths through Virtual Community Engagement

About T1D To The Third

Since its inception in 2025, the nonprofit has reached more than 1,500 participants globally, creating online peer support for young people and their families. “We have had people join from every time zone in the United States in addition to Canada, Australia, Trinidad, Tobago, and all across Europe,” said co-founder Adriana Richard. “That reach is one of the things we are proudest of. Something that began as three teenagers trying to make the pandemic a little less isolating has grown into a community that has connected so many families.”

The group’s core mission is to ensure that no person with type 1 diabetes ever feels isolated or alone managing their condition. “T1D to the Third really grew out of the isolation we were seeing, especially at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Richard. “Living with T1D can already feel isolating, and suddenly kids were cut off from school, camps, activities, and many of the places where they might normally meet others who understood what they were going through.”

To The Third Power: What’s in a Name?

T1D to the Third’s significance lies not only in the fact that three extraordinary individuals created it, but the name itself emanates ‘to the third power.’

“Our mission is about multiplying the impact of connection,” said Richard. “One person with T1D finding another person who understands them can make a huge difference, and building an entire community around that idea can be even more powerful,” Richard added that their goal is not simply to educate kids about diabetes but to give them community, confidence, friendships, and opportunities to advocate for themselves.

Three Founding Leaders

Richard founded T1D to the Third alongside two like-minded friends, Natalie Brogan and Sophie Rinzler, who met at the Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress in 2019. They quickly built the kind of community they wanted for kids—a welcoming organization centered on real friendships, not making diabetes the sole focus.

“We wanted a space where they could feel understood while still just getting to be kids,” said Richard. “The three of us knew firsthand how valuable it was to talk to someone else with T1D without having to explain every little part of it.”

Initially, the three lived in different states and time zones, but today they are much closer geographically: Richard student teaches in Pennsylvania, Brogan attends Barnard in New York City, and Rinzler attends Cornell in Ithaca.  

T1D Childhood Experiences Helped Shape T1D to the Third

All three founders were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes under age 10. Richard, diagnosed at age five, said, “T1D has been with me for nearly my entire life and has ultimately shaped the person I’ve become. There have been hard days, but there have also been so many beautiful moments and incredible people I never would have met without this journey,” she added. “Most importantly, T1D gave me a reason to care deeply about making sure no one else feels alone in it.”

Co-founder Natalie Brogan agreed. “There will always be days when diabetes feels overwhelming and unfair, but it has also introduced me to incredible people, given me a sense of purpose, and taught me strengths I never knew I had. Now in 2026, I am celebrating my 10th year living with T1D, and remain indebted to those who saw the signs, helped me through diagnosis, and stand by me today.”

With no family history of T1D, she said her diagnosis came out of the blue. “I was nine and had all of the hallmark T1D symptoms: frequent urination, unquenchable thirst, and extreme hunger. My body was starting to shut down, yet I powered through a 5K race the day before and then ate five donuts after — probably not the best thing for an undiagnosed diabetic to be doing.”

Co-founder Sophie Rinzler, diagnosed at age four, said, “T1D doesn’t disappear because you are at school, out with friends, traveling, or trying something new, so I had to learn to plan without letting that planning stop me from participating.

“Moving into adulthood has been another level of that independence. I am now responsible for managing T1D alongside college, work, extracurriculars, travel, and everything else in my life,” Rinzler explained. “At the same time, I think growing up with diabetes made me independent and comfortable advocating for myself at a relatively young age.”

T1D to the Third Activities

T1D to the Third offers safe, group sessions that build self-esteem and offer hope to kids navigating life with T1D. Monthly activities via Zoom calls include games, crafts, snacks and themed events for different age groups.

Littles, Pre-Teens, and Teens

The online groups are split into different age sets, allowing kids to connect with peers at similar stages with T1D. “Over time, the calls have included groups for ages 4-8, 9-12, and 13-18, with a mix of games, conversations, diabetes-related discussions, advocacy, and other activities,” Richard said.

“My teenage years with type one diabetes were some of the hardest years of my life,” Richard admitted. “Growing up, T1D was simply something I had always known, but adolescence brought a whole new set of challenges.”

“I was trying to figure out who I was, navigate school, friendships, and growing up, all while carrying the constant responsibility of managing a chronic illness,” said Richard. “Some days, I felt exhausted by it all. The constant decisions, the expectations, and the feeling that my life revolved around diabetes could become incredibly overwhelming.”

In addition to the monthly group chats, the peer network provides parent/guardian information sessions, speaker series Zooms with T1D role models, a pen-pal program and a youth ambassador program.

Youth Ambassadors

Since all three founders are active advocates (with two acting members on Breakthrough T1D’s Youth Advocacy Council), T1D to the Third offers a youth ambassador program to help young community members build leadership, public speaking, and advocacy skills. “We want kids and teens with T1D to feel like their experiences and ideas matter,” said Richard.

“That is really important to us because some of the best support for a young person with T1D comes from another young person who has actually lived it,” she added. “We want our younger members to see that they can grow from being someone looking for support into someone who provides it for somebody else.”

Advocacy To The Third

In addition to their advocacy with Breakthrough T1D, the three young leaders participated in the organization, Together We Can (formerly Promise to Remember Me). They’ve met with local congressmen and women, and Brogan is currently an executive board member of Barnard College’s chapter of The Diabetes Link.

“We wish more people understood that living with T1D is a 24/7 responsibility,” said Richard. “Insulin is essential, but access to insulin alone does not eliminate the burden of the disease. Policy change can be incredibly slow, and it is easy to become frustrated when problems that feel urgent take years to address. But then we think about the kids and families we have met through T1D to the Third and the broader diabetes community, and the stakes become very real again.”

T1D Burnout Can Happen at Any Age

“There were times when I felt isolated and had some really dark thoughts,” said Richard. “I struggled emotionally in ways that were difficult to explain to the people around me, especially because from the outside, it could be easy to assume I was doing fine. Looking back, I wish that younger me had understood that struggling didn’t make me weak, and that I didn’t have to carry everything by myself.”

“Those years taught me just how important it is for people with T1D to have a community where they can be honest about the difficult parts — not just the successes,” Richard explained. “I know what it feels like to wonder if anyone truly understands. That’s why I want every young person with T1D to know that their feelings matter, their struggles are valid, and they deserve to have people in their corner.”

“The early teenage years are tough at baseline, but adding T1D on top brings things to another level,” said Brogan. “By the time I was 13, I insisted on doing my own pump changes, monitoring my food intake, and acting very “adult.” Looking back, I feel a bit robbed of childhood, but that’s the harsh reality of type 1 diabetes: it forces you to grow up quickly.

“But as I moved into adulthood, I began to recognize that some of the skills I developed because of T1D became strengths,” Brogan added. “As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned that while T1D may have changed my childhood, it has also helped shape the person I am becoming.”  

T1D Future Generations

The three founders share the hope for better access to the best technology and treatments, regardless of income, insurance, ZIP code, or background. “We hope every newly diagnosed child is connected early on with other young people with T1D so they never feel like they are figuring it out by themselves,” said Richard.

Most importantly, they want to convey one message: Never let T1D convince you that there’s anything you can’t do. Whether it’s coaching Girls on the Run like Richard, working in an immunology research lab (Brogan), or exploring the East Coast on a food crawl like Rinzler—none let T1D stop them from pursuing the things they love.

“T1D will always require extra planning and attention, but it doesn’t have to make your world smaller.”

If you have a loved one searching for a T1D community, you can find upcoming virtual meetups, registration links, and announcements through the official T1D To The Third Instagram or the T1D to the Third Wix website.