Meet Our BETA Society Members

Damian Georgino

Damian Georgino has led an adventurous life while living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). He was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 13 during wrestling season. “It was March of 1974. I woke up on a Saturday morning, and I was so thirsty. I drank a giant coke.” says Damian. Later that day, he went to the hospital because something just seemed off. “The doctor could tell [something was wrong] by the smell of my breath. They tested my blood sugar and it was in the 600s.” Damian’s diagnosis was quite a shock to him and his family as no one else in his family had T1D.

Since then, Damian has traveled all over the world to destinations including Paris, Frankfurt and backpacking through Italy. “I’ve traveled to almost every country in the world. Why not?”

Damian was also involved in starting the JDRF Western PA Chapter in 1988. “I worked for Alco at the time, and a man named Fred Fetterolf was the President. He started the chapter, and I got involved through him. It was all very small and trying to differentiate JDRF from other charities at the start.” He has been involved with JDRF ever since those early days in Pittsburgh.

Today, Damian is active in the JDRF Georgia Chapter and included JDRF in his estate plans in 2006. “My motivation to become a BETA Society member goes back to 1974. I want a cure. And the more we learn, the more we realize what we don’t know and how difficult of a disease [T1D] is.” When asked what he would say to others looking to follow in his footsteps, Damian says, “While it needs to fit into your overall plan, it’s a good way to give a larger sum of money to the important research.”

To learn more about including JDRF in your estate plans, click here.

Back to all stories