Rebekah Hata
Bekah is a passionate advocate and founder of T1D Mod Squad. She has 2 children who have both battled serious medical conditions and are now thriving. Bekah and her family live in Southern California where they enjoy their four dogs and all the adventures that come along with them. Bekah is a licensed aesthetician with a growing practice she loves.
How did T1D Mod Squad come about?
When my youngest child, Ava, was diagnosed at 18 months old, I found myself lost and hopeless. I needed a support group to help me navigate T1D with a toddler. In an attempt to find support, I started the Facebook page where I could find other families walking the same T1D journey. The Lord was my guidance. I prayed, “Please Lord let me be the vessel in which you use me to start this page.”
How did you come up with the name T1D Mod Squad?
There was a mother I met at one of our first hospital visits that said she was a Mod. I remember thinking, “what the heck does that mean?” So, I asked her, and she said it meant mother of a diabetic. I added the word squad because I wanted to have a group of us in the T1D world.
What inspired you to turn T1DMS into a nonprofit?
As our page grew into a tight knit family, we felt the need to give back to those that needed our support the most. There are other nonprofits that raise money for research and advocacy but there is space for us to give back to the day to day essentials: support through blood, sweat, and tears. We have now become a family where we walk through the trenches, celebrating the great days and holding each other up on the hard days. What differentiates us from other nonprofits is that the space we have created is one in which the money we raise goes directly back to the families that belong to our group. We do this by giving families grants for diabetes supplies, diabetic alert dogs, or to kids attending diabetes camp. T1DMS has grown exponentially and the more families we reach, the more we know we are the nonprofit the T1D community needs.
What is your goal for T1DMS?
My continued goal is to reach more and more people in order to provide support, a place that people in need can turn to, a safe place where they come for refuge. Each T1D family needs to have a tribe they can rely on for support. T1DMS is the shelter where we meet when we struggle in our day to day journeys.
How has your personal life changed since starting T1DMS?
Looking back, I am humbled and awed at how God has called me to reach families seeking support in their T1D journey. My faith has strengthened and grown as I continually ask God to use me however He sees fit. One of the most important ways has been through advocacy. Since I started T1DMS six years ago, I have learned to take on an active role in finding my voice in becoming a better advocate for all those affected by T1D. I have also had to teach my child to advocate for herself, no matter what life brings.
What is your hope for the members of T1DMS?
My hope is that joining Mod Squad inspires them to become informed in all things T1D. Education is power and that is what has helped me thrive, especially in those first years. The more I learn and understand my rights as a parent and the rights of my child, the more I am able to help others.
My hope for our members is to feel the power of shared experiences and tribal community. May this be the space where they can feel accepted, validated, safe, encouraged, and loved.
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Ana Reinhardt
Ana is a happy wife to her high school sweetheart and mother of three children. Born and raised in Honduras, Central America, Ana has lived in Canada, California, Colorado, and currently calls Idaho her home. She is an amateur photographer, recreational triathlete, passionate reader, obsessed organizer, traveler and avid beer taster.
“I joined T1D Mod Squad one year after my youngest son was diagnosed, seeking the support of other T1D moms experiencing my same struggle. T1DMS showed me the power of collective pain – sharing challenges and celebrating victories as a community navigating the unknown territory of T1D together. T1DMS serves as a platform to reach out, hold each other’s hands, and walk through our brokenness the way we are meant to: together.”
Besides being passionate about giving support to fellow T1D Mods and Dods, Ana helps manage T1D Mod Squad, Inc nonprofit. Ana enjoys taking the lead role in organizing educational events throughout the US including organizing annual educational symposiums, Mod meet ups, and 504 review sessions.
Winston Churchill says…”We make a living by what we get…we make a life by what we give.”
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Ana Reinhardt
Development Director
Sarah Long
Sarah considers herself a one-woman army for children with diabetes.
Her expertise is in genomics, and she keeps one eye on new innovations and research and the other eye glued to her 7 year old’s Dexcom. She’s a single mama who knows how to shuffle for supplies.
She helps other families navigate the patient assistance programs, insurance prior authorizations and discount programs.
She preaches the importance of attending diabetes camps and helps at Camp Nejeda in New Jersey.
When she sees a child without the necessary supplies, she thinks “that’s my kid too”. She follows a mighty good Shepherd who will leave His flock of 99 and look for the 1. It’s His love and grace that carries her though.
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Sarah Long
Patient Assistance Advocate
Shawn Nelson
Shawn Nelson is a mom mom from Southern CA. She is a retired RN of 13 years and now social media influencer. Her passion for supporting families as they walk this T1 journey is something that’s very important to her. Solitude and support was something she found incredibly helpful in the MOD’s community. Her son Christian was diagnosed at 11, now 18 and off to college. His twin brother, older sister, and Shawn’s husband definitely help guide this ship too. She’s excited to serve our T1 community and families in support and love!
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Shawn Nelson
Volunteer
Carrie Berry
Carrie Berry is a wife and mom to two amazing boys. Her blood is probably diluted from all the coffee running through her veins and she finds relaxation through bike riding and photography. She is passionate about God and trying to make a difference in the world. Type 1 Diabetes came storming in their lives unexpectedly 6 years ago, turning everything upside down as it so often does. Through the storms she found new purpose and mission of raising awareness, helping other families in this journey and being a strong voice of advocacy. She feels the silver lining of this disease is the amazing friends and community they have met along the way.
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