The proud winners of our recent Willie Mays giveaway recap their grand prize trip to San Francisco.

This past May, diaTribe held a raffle in honor of James Hirsch’s new book, Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend. The grand prize winner received a trip to San Francisco, two tickets to see the San Francisco Giants take on the Colorado Rockies, and the opportunity to go to the San Francisco Bay Area JDRF Hope Gala with diaTribe Logbook columnist James Hirsch and the diaTribe team! Melissa and Zach Elsbecker were the proud winners of the giveaway, and we so loved spending time with them here in our City by the Bay. Zach is a sophomore at the University of Iowa, who has had type 1 diabetes since 2005. His mother Melissa made the trip with him, and we were so delighted to meet and spend time with them. While we don’t usually disclose the winners of our raffles (there have been over 225 winners to date for nearly a dozen lotteries we have held since 2007), we were touched by their thank you note – congratulations again, Melissa and Zach!

First of all, we would like to thank diaTribe for such a wonderful weekend! We had a fantastic time in the great city of San Francisco. Seeing the various sights was one thing, but being in the big city atmosphere, enjoying the beautiful weather, and attending the JDRF Gala was what made the trip worthwhile. Watching the Giants get a win and meeting James Hirsch were also moments that defined Zach’s personal image of the city. We enjoyed the shopping and sights of Pier 39, as well as visiting Alcatraz Island and learning the history there. The JDRF Gala was too amazing for words! The food, personal stories, meeting the diaTribe staff, and witnessing the support that the city of San Francisco gives to diabetes awareness was incredible and will make this trip one we will never forget!

Thanks again!

Melissa & Zach Elsbecker