Thursday, August 20, 2009
September 26th we will not have classes.
Come join us as we join BJ and Jenni and Walk for the Cure. You can sign up to walk with us or make a donation by clicking the link below.
If you guys want to, we could even do the Farmers walk for the Cure!?!
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I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was three years old. For several years now, I’ve had it under pretty good control, though there’s no escaping the constant focus needed to maintain my blood sugars in the optimal range. With all the variables that can affect your blood sugar (food, exercise, insulin levels, stress, sleep, etc.), it’s nearly impossible to avoid the occasional high and low blood sugar levels and related symptoms that can result.
Most of the time, when my blood sugar gets off, it’s just annoying or frustrating because it prevents me from having the freedom to do certain things (like the occasional WOD). But every once it a while, my levels will get off to a point where it’s much more serious- actually limiting my ability to think or generally function. If you talk to Jenni or anyone else who’s been around me in this state, I’m sure they’d tell you just how frightening it can be (though Jenni can tell you some pretty funny stories as well…).
It takes a lot of effort to manage my diabetes, including constantly monitoring my blood sugar levels, being mindful of everything I eat and taking insulin accordingly, and always being prepared for the inevitable high and low blood sugars. But since I’ve been doing this stuff (or my parents were for me) for as long as I can remember, it comes fairly easy to me now- it’s really the only way of life I’ve ever known.
Unfortunately, this isn’t an uncommon disease. Numerous people are newly diagnosed each day, and for them it can be a difficult, dramatic shift in their ways of life. I’m sure it’s terrifying to them as they think about all the work it’ll take just to live a somewhat regular life, especially as they’re faced with the complications that can result (heart disease, blindness, amputations, death…). I can only imagine how my own parents felt when they learned that both of their children (yes, my older sister was diagnosed 10 months before I was) would be dealing with this for the rest of our lives.
Fortunately, we’re getting to the point where it might not be an issue for the rest of our lives. Recent research is leading some experts to believe that they are extremely close to finding a cure (I’m not one of those experts, so I won’t go into detail here. But, you can look around the JDRF website or search Google to find some of the latest news and breakthroughs). So, that’s why we’re participating in the walk and trying to raise money- so that this research can continue. Granted, it’s somewhat selfish on my part, but there are so many others who stand to benefit even more than me.
So, Jenni and I would really appreciate anyone who is willing to contribute. You can click on the Team Dollahon link to donate, or even better, you can sign up and start trying to raise additional money yourself. Even if you can’t donate or join up, it’d be great just to have you come out on the 26th for the event itself. There’s gonna be a lot going on and it should be a lot of fun. Plus it’ll look pretty sweet to have a team doing a 3.1 mile Farmers Walk for the Cure- we’ll have to do tshirts or something.
Sorry this post was so long, but thanks for reading through it. Let Jenni or I know if you have any questions or want to help out. Thanks again!