Thank you for checking out my New York Marathon Charity page!
Running for a cause this time...
Maybe I should start off by saying... I wouldn't have done this without the encouragement of my sister, Janae. She is always looking to "do good things" and this may be her way of convincing me to join her. Our small team includes myself, my sister Janae, and my friend Todd Henderson. You can find both of their pages on here somewhere as well...I'm not sure where... 🤷🏼♂️ They are both amazing people and have agreed to raise money for a cause that personally means a lot to me. Thank you guys!
My story...
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was eight years old. That was nearly 35 years ago!
It has always been a part of my life and I can tell you that diabetes no fun. It is an unrelenting auto-immune disease that never takes a vacation. Constant vigilance is required in order to stay in a "safe" place as swings in blood sugar, high or low, can cause a lot of issues.
It was YEARS before I admitted to anyone that I was diabetic. It wasn't that I was ashamed of it... I knew it wasn't something that I could have prevented... however, I never wanted to be known as the diabetic kid. The kid that needed to be watched over or concerned about. I wanted to be just like all of my friends.
So I told no one.
I played hard and never let diabetes tell me what I could or couldn't do. I've water skied and snowboarded my entire life. I ride motorcycles, both dirt and street. I wrestled in high school and have always enjoyed a ton of other sports along the way. I'm a stubborn person and diabetes was NOT going to tell me what I could or couldn't do and for the most part, it hasn't.
That isn't to say I haven't had scary moments... I've had them way more often than I'd like to admit...
In fact, there have been times throughout my life when I didn't control my diabetes as well as I should have because I didn't want to admit that it had control over some aspects of my life... it needed to be respected and it was hard for me to respect such an annoyance.
Since maturing, (rather slowly I might add) I've become much more open and vocal. I not only tell people that I'm diabetic, I try to help them understand what that means... there is a lot of confusion about how it works.
I've joined communities that are pushing the envelope in figuring out ways to manage diabetes without waiting for the FDA to do it for them. Through groups like these I've built my own little artificial pancreas device that I keep in my pocket.
Basically what I'm saying is that I've come out of the "diabetic closet" and am fighting the fight much louder than before.
About 7 years ago I decided it was time to get in better shape so I started running. I never intended on running in any races, I was just hoping to improve my health. Since then I have run a lot and it has become a huge part of my life both mentally and physically. I've now run 30ish half marathons and a handful of full marathons. Running is hard for anyone but diabetes does add another layer of complexity.
Running is another way I can give the figurative "bird" to diabetes...
My goal is to run in the 2021 New York Marathon with my sister Janae and my buddy Todd. Janae has been one of my greatest supporters throughout my life. She has always been a hero of mine. Todd has become one of my closest friends and I can pretty much guilt him into doing anything with me so I figured I'd convince him that he needed to do it too. I'm really excited to run with them in November. This will be the 50th anniversary of the NYC Marathon so it is kind of "extra special". I also served an LDS mission in NYC over 20 years ago so it will be fun to run through the Bronx and Manhattan again.
In order to run this race and raise money for diabetes, I've decided to run with Team Joslin. They are a facility in Boston that is a Mecca for patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes... (because Type 2 diabetics matter too ;)
They not only provide care but they also have over 300 researchers actively looking for a cure for both diseases. They are awesome and I'm honored to be able to run with their team.
I've never been comfortable asking for money from others but if this cause sounds interesting to you and if you'd like to help me, my sister, and Todd get to New York, I'd be honored to represent your contribution to the cause and promise to say each one of your names at least once before fainting in exhaustion during the run.
If you've read this far, I owe you a thank you!
Diabetes is lame... I hate it and so can you... just show it with your wallet! 😂
Thank you for your support! I appreciate it!
Dave
More about Joslin Diabetes Center
Founded in 1898, Joslin Diabetes Center is world-renowned for its deep expertise in diabetes treatment and research. Joslin is dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes and ensuring that people with diabetes live long, healthy lives. We develop and disseminate innovative patient therapies and scientific discoveries throughout the world. Joslin is an independent, non-profit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and a federally-funded Diabetes Research Center.
All of the money raised by the Team Joslin program supports the High Hopes Fund here at Joslin Diabetes Center. This fund is unrestricted and supports the Center's greatest needs. These funds ultimately contribute to Joslin’s capacity to prevent, treat and cure diabetes through cutting-edge research, comprehensive patient care and pioneering education programs.
