It's called life. Diabetes or not, sometimes things come along fast and priorities have to take precedent. I've missed writing and sharing. With lots of plans back in the Spring of the year, lots of unplanned "tasks" came my way after the fact. I didn't even get any racing in over the summer... not really pleased about that, but plans must include being adaptable... as T1's & supporters, we understand this.
None of the past months hold any disappointment for me though. I have gotten the opportunity to join a strong group of cyclists with the Adventures for the Cures team (sorry, had to post this link in red b/c we fly "the Dots"), and plans for climbing, cycling, and running events are never far from my mind... along with some other items (keep reading, you see!). As for the months since May, here's a quick synopsis:
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Had some great times teaching summer school courses to the undergraduate forestry and fish & wildlife students for NCSU. Another season of capturing and banding songbirds with great success. And, a week in the Great Smoky Mountains with the class, while AFC co-founder Adam Driscoll rolled to a record performance on the Team Type 1 Race Across America 8-man team.
Last fall I was chosen by my peers at REI as the 2010 Anderson Award recipient. It was an honor that I wasn't prepared for and I'm still constantly humbled by. With that award came a week in the Pacific NW during June with all of the other Anderson recipents to celebrate, explore, and learn about REI's "roots". I'd never been to the Pac NW, and being able to take Liz with me was pretty cool. Even got to put in a 65 mile ride around Seattle with Steve G, Brad, and a group of the Anderson winners.
Straight from the Pac NW to Florida for the Children with Diabetes "Friends for Life" conference to help at Sports Central with some of my good friends from DESA (Diabetes Exercise and Sport Association). This is still one of the best things we do each year... If you've never checked it out, you should!
Shortly thereafter, some of my favorite people and I got to ride the 24 Hours of Booty event in Charlotte at the end of July to raise money to support cancer patients and research.
August to present has been largely filled with way more work than normal and an academic stretch... I've been taking a grad level entomology class that's required way more work that any other taxonomy class I've ever taken. (We've got less than a month to go!) Along the way CWD held a Focus on Technology weekend in Charlotte, NC where Liz, myself, and our CWD family got to spend a beautiful weekend hanging out.
Back in October, there was this one "big" weekend... the JDRF Ride to Cure in Death Valley, CA where for the first time I rode as a coach. Six riders, including myself, from the Triangle Ride Team were among 350 riders who raised over 1.4 million dollars to support the research projects that so many diabetics are intently watching as we zone in on a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
To top off the weekend, I asked Liz to marry me while we were on the trip and she said YES! Though most would start figuring out plans, we had the Triangle JDRF Walk to Cure soon after, which raised over $1 million dollars for diabetes research & a good friend and Type 1 Doug Burns flew in for the event -- Liz played a pivotal role in the planning for the Walk. But don't worry, now she's planning wedding details!
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2010 has been a busy one, and though I haven't spent nearly as much time focusing on "athletics", as we all know for diabetes, we don't get a break from knowing our condition exists each and every day. This year has been a tough one for many families of T1's... and those circumstances make our efforts hit "close to home". No matter who... physicians, companies, politicians, reps, athletes, parents, patrons, non-profits... we all need to remember that we are on the same team... we are all working towards the day we have a cure and we MUST get to that day. I see major steps getting us to that goal being made, but knowing about research techniques and "red-tape" firsthand, I don't speculate on how fast that day will be upon us. Yet, we cannot quit.
Until we reach that day, we need to support one another. Period. We need to be examples for everyone... that managing this condition properly is NOT a CURE, that it is a constant from which one cannot afford to be unconscious, but also that it is not a limiting factor in what can be accomplished given human perseverance and spirit.
November is National Diabetes Awareness month and the 14th is World Diabetes Day. As you go forward in your efforts, have fun and smile. Share and grow the support networks as there are many that still need our help. Diabetes touches way more people than we all think... anyone who knows a T1 or T2 is a Type 3... the support network. That's a LOT of people...Though we make all of these efforts on WDD and in the month of November, never forget that even after all of this ends this year... Diabetes doesn't stop and diabetics don't get a vacation. We need a CURE. Period.
6 Things to Know About Diabetes:
1- Insulin is NOT A CURE.
2- When we are having a "bad day", a few minutes doesn't necessarily "fix" the problem. Bear with us.
3- Type 1 is for life... we might have been diagnosed @ age 4 or 12 or 24, but as of now, we'll be T1 until we leave this Earth.
4- Give us the ability to manage our blood glucose well and we'll save health care A LOT of money!
5- I'll guarantee someone you know has Type 1 or Type 2... and though they may be managed similarly, they are NOT the same thing...
6- WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM!!!
Stay tuned for 2011... lots of awesome "things" coming down the pipe from a lot of people!
Take care --J
#6 is great! We are definitely all on the same team. :)
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