{"id":43976,"date":"2016-05-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/fashion-advocacy-and-community-how-a-gown-stole-a-jdrf-gala-show\/"},"modified":"2016-09-15T03:54:12","modified_gmt":"2016-09-15T07:54:12","slug":"fashion-advocacy-and-community-how-a-gown-stole-a-jdrf-gala-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976","title":{"rendered":"Fashion, Advocacy and Community: How a Gown Stole a JDRF Gala Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shortly after I received the incredible news that my husband and I would be honored at the 2016 JDRF One Night Gala in Boston this year, I got a message from fellow D-mom, Darlene, a talented seamstress.\u00a0\u201cI am making you an original gown for this event,” she said. “And\u2026 it\u2019s my gift to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three years ago Darlene had\u00a0worked on my mother of the bride gown, and slayed it. But I\u2019ll be honest with you: I was having trouble embracing the whole \u201chonoree\u201d thing. Who was I to be honored? I\u2019m a diabetes mom. Sure, I\u2019ve raised a lot and done a lot but \u2026 who hasn\u2019t? \u00a0And then almost immediately, I thought to myself \u201cOh I should just say thank you to Darlene, but it’s not necessary, and forget it.” \u00a0I’d find a gown on sale at Lord and Taylor and cross that off the list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then I met with Darlene and she showed me her plan.<\/p>\n

A gown in the rich JDRF blue I love, with an open slit in front and a skirt beneath. \u201cYou have great legs, Moira. The dress will be so flattering. And, it’s also going to have\u2026\u201d Darlene flipped to a sketch that \u2013 and I don\u2019t say this lightly \u2013 blew my mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee? The long skirt will open and the lining will be embroidered with names. Names of all the people you care about and have helped with diabetes. Because Moira: They are part of the fabric of your life.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I burst into tears. (Did I mention we were in the middle of a Panera?) In an instant, just like that, I felt like I could accept, enjoy, and deeply appreciate this honoree thing.<\/p>\n

I went home and posted a simple question on Facebook: \u201cIf I have ever helped you or your child in your diabetes life, say something here. Or name someone I have helped for you.\u201d . Within two hours, there were over 600 names posted. Darlene was going to have some sewing to do.<\/p>\n

And she did. This wonderful woman who works full time spent her nights and weekends slaving over this gown. I had a few fittings, and I teased it on Facebook, claiming it was going to be the best gown ever. I think I even said Lady Gaga would be impressed. No one knew about the names, though. I kept the secret close.<\/p>\n

And then I started worrying: was I overselling it? Maybe it was not as meaningful to the diabetes world as it was to me. One of the last fittings, my husband (who was in on it) came along. I put the gown on and walked into the room, hoping he would like it.<\/p>\n

\"Moira<\/a>\u201cHoly sh**, Moira. Holy sh**,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are going to lose it over this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Darlene kept stitching and stitching names up until the last moment. She did not get to all 600+ (yet). But she has offered to take it back and continue.<\/p>\n

Gala night came. I\u2019d used the social media hashtag #galazilla and built a little suspense around it. As promised, at 6:05 p.m. (the start of the gala), I posted a photo to social media and then never looked at my phone again that night. At the gala, folks looked, and then looked again. They cried. They found the names of people they love. They took photos with the gown. They stared in awe.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, unbeknownst to me, my gown was indeed breaking the diabetes internet. Stories were being shared about how I\u2019d met folks who saw their or their child\u2019s name on the gown. Strangers posted the photo and said how much they loved it. Darlene\u2019s magnificent creation (which by the way was also incredibly comfortable!) was taking action. It was inspiring people. It was sharing the JDRF story. It was connection the community.<\/p>\n

I, on the stage as honoree, felt somehow fueled by the gown, like it was giving me superpowers.<\/p>\n

Then I realized: that\u2019s because it was designed with the spirit and courage of so many. Those names? They are the true honorees that night. They are representative of the millions who do all they have to do to stay healthy and happy and secure with diabetes and yet still find a way, every day, to just plain shine<\/em>. I may raise money and fund research and speak at events and deliver bags of hope and whatever else has to be done, but I do all of that standing on the shoulders of the true heroes out there. The boys and girls, men and women, all like my own daughter, who do umpteen more things that me every single day just to be alive and on this earth.<\/p>\n

In the end, I absolultely loved being the honoree I so didn\u2019t believe I should be, and so did my husband. About $1.9 million was raised in the room that night.<\/p>\n

My gown is in the closet. I might bring it back to Darlene to add more names. I don\u2019t know that I\u2019ll ever find the chance to wear it again. But I realize now that I’ve kind of been wearing it all along.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shortly after I received the incredible news that my husband and I would be honored at the 2016 JDRF One Night Gala in Boston this year, I got a message from fellow D-mom, Darlene, a talented seamstress. \u201cI am making you an original gown for this event,” she said. “And\u2026 it\u2019s my gift to you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":43977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1429],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nFashion, Advocacy and Community : How a Gown Stole a JDRF Gala Show<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shortly after I received the incredible news that my husband and I would be honored at the 2016 JDRF One Night Gala in Boston this year, I got a message from fellow D-mom, Darlene, a talented seamstress. \u201cI am making you an original gown for this event," she said. "And\u2026 it\u2019s my gift to you.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Moira McCarthy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976\",\"name\":\"Fashion, Advocacy and Community : How a Gown Stole a JDRF Gala Show\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Names-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-05-17T04:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-15T07:54:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/da9789c052843c4223a7b58094bdd156\"},\"description\":\"Shortly after I received the incredible news that my husband and I would be honored at the 2016 JDRF One Night Gala in Boston this year, I got a message from fellow D-mom, Darlene, a talented seamstress. \u201cI am making you an original gown for this event,\\\" she said. \\\"And\u2026 it\u2019s my gift to you.\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Names-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Names-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"Names\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Fashion, Advocacy and Community: How a Gown Stole a JDRF Gala Show\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/\",\"name\":\"ASweetLife\",\"description\":\"The Diabetes Magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/da9789c052843c4223a7b58094bdd156\",\"name\":\"Moira McCarthy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4979fd2b2da2f47d72073190a6fc3e75?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4979fd2b2da2f47d72073190a6fc3e75?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Moira McCarthy\"},\"description\":\"Moira McCarthy was pursuing her dream career in active sports journalism when her young daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1997. While she continued on that route, writing for the New York Times Sports and Leisure Division, Snow Country Magazine, Ski Magazine and becoming a daily newspaper sports columnist for the Boston Herald, she also began dedicating much of her life to diabetes advocacy and education.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?author=24\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fashion, Advocacy and Community : How a Gown Stole a JDRF Gala Show","description":"Shortly after I received the incredible news that my husband and I would be honored at the 2016 JDRF One Night Gala in Boston this year, I got a message from fellow D-mom, Darlene, a talented seamstress. \u201cI am making you an original gown for this event,\" she said. \"And\u2026 it\u2019s my gift to you.\u201d","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Moira McCarthy","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976","name":"Fashion, Advocacy and Community : How a Gown Stole a JDRF Gala Show","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Names-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2016-05-17T04:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-15T07:54:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/da9789c052843c4223a7b58094bdd156"},"description":"Shortly after I received the incredible news that my husband and I would be honored at the 2016 JDRF One Night Gala in Boston this year, I got a message from fellow D-mom, Darlene, a talented seamstress. \u201cI am making you an original gown for this event,\" she said. \"And\u2026 it\u2019s my gift to you.\u201d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Names-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Names-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"Names"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=43976#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Fashion, Advocacy and Community: How a Gown Stole a JDRF Gala Show"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/","name":"ASweetLife","description":"The Diabetes Magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/da9789c052843c4223a7b58094bdd156","name":"Moira McCarthy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4979fd2b2da2f47d72073190a6fc3e75?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4979fd2b2da2f47d72073190a6fc3e75?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Moira McCarthy"},"description":"Moira McCarthy was pursuing her dream career in active sports journalism when her young daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1997. While she continued on that route, writing for the New York Times Sports and Leisure Division, Snow Country Magazine, Ski Magazine and becoming a daily newspaper sports columnist for the Boston Herald, she also began dedicating much of her life to diabetes advocacy and education.","url":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?author=24"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43976"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}