The title “Warrior One” might remind people of an action video game, but this event features outdoor, family yoga, and bring your own picnic day to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The event, at Van Nest Park on Cranbury Road, on Sunday, October 5, at 11 a.m., has been organized by Agatha Siegel of West Windsor.
“Two of our four sons have Type 1 diabetes, and we have been involved with JDRF for nine years now,” says Siegel, who was raised in Plainsboro. “Our family team has raised more than $100,000 for JDRF through Walk to Cure Diabetes and other fundraising efforts such as tag sales.”
She and her family moved to West Windsor two years ago. Her husband, Marc, works in television advertising and commutes to New York City. “We have been warmly welcomed into this community and in an effort to continue growing the community spirit and to support JDRF we were inspired to create this Warrior One event — the first of its kind but hopefully will become an annual tradition,” she says.
“Last year we reached out to Bai to let them know we were big fans of their healthy drinks and they in turn came out to support us in the fight to cure Type 1 diabetes,” says Siegel. The yoga portion of the party will be team taught by YogaSoul’s instructors including co-owner Linda Domino and instructor Christine Girandola, who is best known for her “happy hour” and pre-teen classes. PrincetonKids is also helping with networking to get the event off the ground.
An only child, Siegel was born in Poland and moved to Plainsboro when she was eight and her father took a job at RCA in West Windsor. Known as Agatha Gogol in her youth, she attended Maurice Hawk and Dutch Neck schools until her parents moved to Robbinsville. She graduated from Notre Dame High School. After graduating from Union College with a degree in English and visual arts, she worked in New York City for close to 20 years.
Jackson, now 9 and a fourth grade student at Millstone River School, was only 16 months old when she noticed that he was very thirsty, his urination increased, and his temperament had changed. She shared her observations with the pediatrician, who did some testing. “She called us at 10 p.m. and Jackson was admitted to the hospital that night,” says Siegel, who was 32 weeks pregnant with the twins. “We were very ignorant about the diagnosis,” she says. “Nobody in our family had diabetes.”
“We started on insulin injections, but we had to be so rigid with a child,” she says. “The pump allows more freedom.” Jackson has done presentations in his classes and the family has been supportive of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, an organization seeking to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes, for several years.
The twins, Alec and Bennett, are 7 and second grade students at Hawk School. Owen, 2, attends Cherry Hill Nursery School. Alec was diagnosed with diabetes last year. “It was as much of a shock as the first time,” says Siegel, who has since met other families with two children who have type 1 diabetes. “More than three million Americans have Type 1, and this chronic disease can lead to devastating health complications. It most definitely changes the lives of those diagnosed drastically.”
“While we have hope that a cure is in our future, we don’t dwell on the negatives or live in the future; our family focuses on being healthy and enjoying all of the moments we can right now. Our two boys are true warriors in the face of this disease — battling it 24/7.”
Community Yoga and Picnic, Warrior One, Van Nest Park, Cranbury Road, West Windsor. Sunday, October 5, 11 a.m.
