Sebastian's Journey Proudly Supporting
On Sunday 21 April 2024, a group of dedicated amateur cyclists will be taking on a 130km challenge from Bella Vista to the beautiful Bowral in support of Diabetes Australia and JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).
The ride is in honour of 32-year-old Sebastian, who passed away in September 2023 as a result of diabetic ketoacidosis.
The eldest son of Richard and Belinda Stafford, Seb was born on 4 April 1991 and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was in year nine at school. Since his diagnosis, Seb struggled with managing this chronic condition. While he initially benefited from mentoring from his teachers at school, as well as encouragement from his parents, Seb had difficulty in taking advice from doctors and diabetes educators. Seb resented being told what to do and for being dependent on daily insulin injections.
This state of mind never changed and although Seb acquired an insulin pump, he was still required to make ongoing multiple calculations and decisions (as do all people living with diabetes) every day to maintain his blood glucose levels (BGL) and general health. This struggle impacted Seb’s mood, ability to work and his ability to maintain relationships as his BGL was consistently high.
In his twenties, Seb was repeatedly hospitalised as a result of diabetic ketoacidosis, often in intensive care. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening condition that develops when cells in the body are unable to get the glucose they need for energy because there is not enough insulin. This condition took Seb’s life last year.
He was loved by all for his humour, warmth, charm and kindness.
Organisers of this event and close friends of Richard and Belinda, Jano & Paul Yousseph (JPY Group) are aiming to raise $100,000. Their goal is to raise much needed funds and increase awareness of type 1 diabetes and the impact the condition may have on mental health. Up to 50% of people with diabetes are thought to also have a mental illness such as depression or anxiety.
“Sebastian's passing affected us immensely,” says Paul Yousseph. “Type 1 diabetes affects so many families, with Jano being diagnosed recently in her early fifties, her nephew being diagnosed as a young teen and many other close friends whose children were diagnosed at a much younger age.”
“I recently heard the terms diabetes fatigue and diabetes burnout, which are very real states of mind. People living with diabetes have to make numerous decisions to manage this chronic condition every day, with what can feel like no end in sight.”
“Our hope is to find better ways to support the mental and physical health for people with type 1 diabetes,” says Paul.
Sebastian’s Journey will start in Bella Vista in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 21 April 2024 and finish at Glebe Park, 6 St Jude Street, Bowral in the Southern Highlands, and will include 1,600m of climbing.
Join us as we cheer on the cyclists as they cross the finish line around 12.30/1pm after a gruelling 7+ hours on the bike. Paul and Jano are putting on a BBQ at the finish line in Glebe Park for family, friends, supporters, donors and the great team at JDRF and Diabetes Australia. All are welcome to attend.
If you would like to join this ride or would like more information about this fundraising event, please email sebastiansjourney@jpygroup.com.au.
Thank you to my Supporters
$5.01k
Anonymous
$2.02k
Micxel Pty Ltd
Great effort JPY, good Luck and all the best.
$2.02k
Plan Urban Services Pty Limited
Wonderful cause - good luck
$2.01k
Anonymous
Congratulations and well done on a great cause!
$1.52k
Anonymous
Go for it guys - what a great cause!
$1.2k
Nathan Chidiac
God Bless you Paul, JPY Group and all the Cycling Crew.
$1.02k
Eyecraft Films ( Antoine Milkeo)
So proud of my cousins and enjoyed every minute of taking the photos and drone footage. Watch this space
$1.02k
Electrical Project Solutions
go payly
$1.01k
Dianne Sande
You guys are a constant inspiration. I will support you all the way but not on the bike xx
$1.01k
Nth Solutions
$1.01k
Jpy Group
A donation to get the ball rolling - a start of many more to come to reach our goal - appreciate all donations large and small xxx
$1,000
Peaceworks Consulting
$1,000
Emma Munro & Josie Crimmins
Thank you for honouring & remembering Sebastian. We miss our nephew every day.
$520
Mark And Barb Reynolds
Great initiative to raise awareness and honour Seb
$520
Bob Fitzell
Well done guys
$520
Emmanuel Poullas
$520
Darren O'brien
$520
Fiona Shoobert
$514.55
Edward And Katherine Sande
Very proud of you both… we will be cheering you all on at the finish line.
$514.55
Lendlease Construction Ux
$501
Pierre Yousseph
$500
George Family
So proud to play a small part in this cause close to my heart, led by the amazing Paul and Jano!!
$420
The Geek Academy
You both never cease to impress us! We're so honored to have you as family. See you at the finish line :)
$316.50
Elie Fares
God bless you and protect you always for your beautiful heart. Much love always
$316.50
Anonymous
I hope that you finished!
$316.50
John Cornish
All the best
$316.50
Peter Douroudis
All the best guys.
$316.50
Cameron Mclean
$316.50
Joe Sande And Family
God bless u all on that day🙏🙏
$316.50
Antoinette Chahine Family
$300
Moses And Vivian Samaha
We are soooo proud of you guys. Moses and Vivian
$263.75
Michele Corin
What a loss! Our hearts are with you. Michele and Ron xxx
$263.75
Anonymous
$263.75
Justin Ibrahim
$263.75
Kelly Morrison
Dear Paul, wishing you all the best for the ride. Kelly
$263.75
Michael Karam
$263.75
Christine Eberl
Absolutely devastated to hear of Sebastian’s passing. All my love to Rich and Belinda and best wishes for the ride.
$263.75
Catherine Federici
Good luck Paul and to all the riders. Great cause. C
$263.75
Siobhan Hargroves
Amazing work guys!!
$263.75
Evan Leslie
I am so terribly sorry for your loss Richard.
$263.75
Instyle Finishes
Great cause
$263.75
Toni Blume
What a wonderful initiative JPY - an annual event is a great goal
$263.75
Jon Davis
Jano and Paul, I know how much of a loving support you have been to Richard, Belinda and the boys. It brings a smile to my face to see you dedicate this amount of effort to such a good cause. I am happy to support and if there is anything you need on the day I am happy to pitch in. Please let me know
$260
Steve Bloomer
Well done Paul and Jano. Hope the knee holds up Paul?
$260
Bradley Miller
Amazing effort, looking forward to seeing you both soon and good luck with the ride!
$260
Rebecca Reid
$260
Justin Zingel
With love and support Jano from Justin and Melinda xox
$260
Deb & Vince Berkhout
$260
Todd Hammond
All the best with the ride & fundraising. A worthy cause for a much-loved man.
$260
Ceinwen & Richard
Great initiative that addressing a pressing health issue. See you at Glebe Park, Bowral on the 21st. Cheers
$260
Elias Maroun
Well done, God Bless. See you there
$250
Edward Salib
Great cause... best of luck!
$211
Pierre & Vera Daher
$211
Anonymous
May your kindness and generosity bless many, many people, and may Sebastian’s memory encourage you to continue this fight. God bless you both.
$211
Elie & Rania
We are so proud of you for this physical feat and raising awareness of this important cause. God be with you on this challenging ride.
$211
Tony Saab
Wonderful effort today. So proud of this amazing team 💪
$211
Habib Saab
$211
Natalie Sande
So proud of you both and can’t wait to cheer you on at the finish line!! Love Nat xxx
$211
Natalie Saad
To Jano and Paul I’m so proud of you both best wishes always love you both Love Natalie Saad
$211
Danny Sande
Very proud of you both! Keep up the amazing work xx
$211
Andre &miray
$211
Keely Poon
A small gesture towards a humongous, worthy cause. My heart is with Sebastian’s family.
$211
Matthew & Maggie Khoury
$210
Suz Rowley
$210
Daas Jabbojr
$208
Powerline Construction
You guys are amazing. God bless your legs and asses xx
$208
Linda Elcham
Best of luck!
$201
Jake & Stephanie Matta
Great cause! Well done Paul & Jano xxx
$201
Danny, Tony And Dj Sande
So proud of you all xx
$201
Wmk Architecture
Thank you Jano and Paul for making a difference to so many peoples lives. Go well xo
$200.45
Anonymous
$168.80
Lina Nasr
$158.25
Elias Nasr
Good luck! Very proud of you.
$158.25
Chicco Boustani
Keep up the great work .. God bless 🙏
$156
Christina Boyd Jones
Well done for an amazing effort for Seb. Food incredible, thank you
$150
Pierre Khouzame
A great cause. Good on you all.
$107.50
Andrew Khoudeir
Great cause and fantastic initiative Paul and Jano. God Bless all the cyclist 🙏🏼
$105.50
Ryan Thomas
$105.50
Stephen Gallagher
$105.50
Leah Cleary
$105.50
Anonymous
$105.50
Lina Nasr
$105.50
Anonymous
You guys are amazing, God bless. 🙏
$105.50
Anonymous
$105.50
Ninachbob
Goodluck
$105.50
Andrew Murphy
$105.50
Melissa Chandler
Absolutely devasted to hear of Sebastian's passing - so much love to Richard and Belinda. Thank you to all for doing this as it is such a challenge
$105.50
Kate Langan
Great cause! Sorry we didn’t make it to cheer you on. Hope it all went well.
$105.50
Jasna Sims
I am so sad to hear of Seb’s passing. My thoughts are with you Richard and Belinda and everyone impacted by this condition.
$105.50
Ron Hirst
Glad to support the Stafford family - Ron Hirst & Michele Corin
$105.50
Denise Yousseph
Paul & Jano ...very proud of you both Lots of love Mum
$105.50
Jessica G. Evans
❤️
$105.50
Christian Watts
Fantastic cause - all the best guys.
$105.50
Ashish Kulkarni
$105.50
Lourise Khoury
Great cause Jano and Paul. Much love to Richard and Belinda directly this difficult time…
$105.50
Oudai Awad
God bless
$105.50
Craig Warburton
$105.50
Freida Karam
You guys both have a heart of gold. Wishing you the very best on this ride.
$105.50
Peter Mccamley
$105.50
Paul Gilliland
sad news, Richard - can't begin to imagine what losing a child is like.
$105.50
Paul Mottek
What a fantastic thing to do in the memory of Sebastian. Our love goes out to you. Paul and Lyn
$105.50
Angela Roche
$105.50
Jarrod Faunt
Congratulations Moses and team on raising funds for a great cause. Being type 1 myself I can fully appreciate the struggles Seb would have gone through. Finding a cure is critical!
$105.50
Jackson Kimber
My hope and prayer is for researchers to find a cure and a cause.
$105.50
A&w Meller
Congratulations on your efforts with this wonderful cause X
$105.50
Rosemary Gereige
God bless you Jano This is such a big ride ❤️ Happy to donate for this worthy cause !! Good luck you are such a champion 😘😘
$105.50
Helga M
$105.50
Leisa Prowd
My 9yr old daughter was diagnosed with T1D when she was 6. I could never have imagined in a million years what this diagnosis would mean. Thank you for bringing this awareness to others in the community. It’s an exhausting and endless task trying to keep levels within range whilst managing day to day life in general. Support for people with T1D and carers of T1D is in great need . We can’t do this alone. Let’s get behind each other and help educate friends , family , schools etc as well as people in general what T1D is all about.
$105.50
Laila Zeynoun
$105.50
Sue Atwill
Hi Janno, Thank you for putting this together in remembrance of Sebastian whilst l think l might have briefly met him once, l worked with Richard for many years. I am sorry for Richard & Belinda’s loss. Thank you for your uplifting story it was very moving and a timely reminder of the fragility of life & the importance of family & looking out for each other. Kind Regards Sue Atwill
$105.50
Josh Read
Awesome Moses!
$105.50
Anonymous
$105.50
Michael Wood
$105.50
Andrew Tompson
$105.50
Sharon Eskell
My love for this worthy cause and memory
$105
Philip Harper
$104
Betissa Ryan
Sending lots of love to Sebastian’s family and friends
$104
Melanie Cochrane
Good luck and great cause. Go Moses!
$104
Maria Cozijnsen
$102
Joe Jabbour
All the best
$100
Mariam Sawaqed
$75
Ian Fortini
Great cause! Good luck
$52.75
Kath Cook
You are incredible people :)
$52.75
Anna Dowl
Backing you all the way!
$52.75
Peter Gore
All the best to all the riders on Sunday
$52.75
Cerulean
My father passed away from diabetes related kidney failure. As the mother of two children, losing a child is an unimaginable thought. Best wishes for ride & hope the target's met.
$52.75
Tom Gater
Hi Jano, Great initiative, can’t beat a good bike ride. My father had type 2, so I understand. Tom
$52.75
Anonymous
Great day for a ride guys and all the best!
$52.75
Amanda Fasavalu
$52.75
Olga Birrell
$52.75
Portia Pitt
$52.75
Grant And Bronwyn
Too far to ride from Melbourne but happy to contribute towards the cause and unfortunately will miss the Yousseph Bar BQ Grant & Bronwyn
$52.75
Carol Chen
All the best with the fundraiser event.
$52.75
Nina
$52.75
Natalie Brown
$52.75
Vatche Torossian
$52.75
Sarah Tozer
Bravo Paul & Jano and deepest condolences to you both Richard & Belinda. I hope you reach your fundraising goal, a very worthy cause
$52.75
Natasa Rikaloska
$52.75
Emily Masters
💪🏻
$52.75
Madonna Burrows
Wishing you all the best on Sebastian’s journey
$52.75
Elizabeth Younan
$52.75
Edison M
Keep on keeping on
$52.75
Anonymous
$52.75
Maral Hovanessian
Good luck and hope to find a cure
$52.75
Con
$52.75
Nick Georgiou
$52.75
Vince Nigro
Im so proud to call you my friends. To stand up & do something of this nature for a good cause is noble indeed. It goes to the fabric of the both of you. Well done
$52.75
Anonymous
thank you and ride safely
$52.75
Jt
Thanks for shining a light on this! Ride well!
$52.75
Gerard Weilche
$52.75
Andrew Smith
Thankyou for taking on this wonderful act and wishing you all the best Jano & Paul. Our thoughts go out to the Stafford family through this journey and beyond.
$52.75
Beth Fechner
Great cause & Safe riding!
$52.75
Rob Vitale
Great work Paul and Jano. RV
$52
Anonymous
$52
Callan Stephen
A great effort for a great cause!
$52
Wendy Smith And Family Xxx
Thank you Jano and team for being super human to help an important cause. You put the KIND in humankind. I support you! xxxxx
$52
Billy Manning
Go big fella!
$26.38
Barbara Valentina Ruberto
$26.38
Tim Flakelar
$26.38
Mitchell A Page
$26.38
Elizabeth T
From one parent knowing all too well what it's like watching a grown son fight Type 1 to another, my heart goes out to you. All the best with your ride, I hope you reach your goal.
$26.38
Tony Chehade
Go well
$26.38
Alex Walter
Such a worthy endeavour which I am only too happy to support. We have close friends with a diabetic grandson and every year we go on a walk with them.
$26.38
Samantha
T1 for 36 years. The daily struggle is real and there is so much people don’t understand. Thank you for doing this.
$26.38
Frank Van Den Brink
Good Luck!!
$26
Penny Rye
$25
Dj
Natalie Rigby told me that if I didn't make a donation there would be consequences. I just didn't want to find out what they might be. Seriously...THANK YOU for doing this and good luck with the ambitious ride.
$25
Michael L
$1
