Category Archives: Athletes With Diabetes

I’m back!

July 11, 2016 – 9:08 am

That’s right… I’m back. Back from Florida (more about that soon), and back as an athlete.
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Sunday marked the yearly occurrence of my local neighborhood 5k run. The 2014 5k was the last athletic event I participated in before my knee was injured and repaired last year.

It was a difficult process, getting my body down to a workable weight, and getting my stamina up to the point where I could cover 3.2 miles without passing out. Even three weeks ago, I couldn’t cover two miles without wheezing and gasping for half an hour after. Could I make it all the way?
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Well, the last three weeks have made all the difference. I’ve concentrated on feeling comfortable running, and not pushing myself to the brink like I’m used to. Did I walk part of the way? Yes. I walked about 3 or 4 tenths of a mile during this run. But again, the number one goal in every event I participate in is finish. Everything else is secondary. And in the end, I didn’t finish too badly:
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My goal (beyond finishing) was to finish in 40 minutes or less. From the photo above, you can see that I finished in just under 34 minutes, which is faster than I’ve run all year.

My diabetes played well all day. Just a little high (170 mg/dL) at the beginning of the run. I ran a 30 percent temporary basal for an hour, beginning just before the race began. The end of the race saw a 148 mg/DL. Well played, Stephen.

There are many factors that went into this successful effort. But there’s no denying: I’m back. And it feels so good to be back. Now I know I can do it. Don’t ask me what my next event will be. But now I know there will be another event. That makes me very happy.
 

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Diabetes + Cancer? No problem for this Champion Athlete.

June 3, 2016 – 9:08 am

It’s Friday, so how about something to make you feel good?

Today, I have another Champion Athletes With Diabetes story. But Ellen isn’t just a runner living with diabetes. She’s also living with cancer. Her sister Terri sent me an e-mail letting me know about her sister’s remarkable achievements, and I want to share part of them with you now.

“Ellen is a person with type 1 diabetes, who has completed three half marathons since November. That in itself I believe qualifies her. But I am more amazed and proud of her as she has done this while battling lung cancer.”

Last November, Ellen finished the Indianapolis Monumental half marathon:

“Her struggle to finish this run led her to the Dr., where she was told she ran it with walking pneumonia (and T1). A few weeks later, once the pneumonia cleared, they spotted tumors in her lung and diagnosed her with lung cancer.”

“Before Ellen was diagnosed with lung cancer, she had already joined Team JDRF to participate in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Ellen raised $2,700 + for JDRF and on January 9, after her initial round of chemo and while on radiation therapy, completed her second half marathon as part of Team JDRF.”

“Ellen is now done with all her treatments and doing everything possible to get stronger and also manage her T1 diabetes. She is back to regular exercise and in May, completed the Indianapolis 500 Festival – Mini-Marathon.”

“Her strength and attitude amaze me. I participated in both the Disney and 500 Festival half marathons with her. I witnessed her determination to prove to herself and others that her diseases will not stop her.”

Is that inspirational, or what? Knowing that Ellen did all that while living with diabetes and lung cancer makes it a little easier for me to want to get out of bed and get my exercise on.
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We salute you Ellen… your story makes us smile, and we are honored to award you this medal. Keep running, and keep inspiring!
 
 
What about you? Are you conquering your athletic goals along with the difficulties of living with diabetes? Is there someone important in your life that meets this description? Then I have a medal for you.

Send me an e-mail at champswithdiabetes@gmail.com. Tell me your name, name of the athlete (it’s okay if it’s you), and your address (gotta know where to send the medal). Most important, tell me what athletic goal was accomplished, and when. Extra points if you tell me how you felt accomplishing the goal. Full disclosure: I reserve the right to use your testimonial here, on Twitter, and on Facebook. I will not use your name if you don’t want me to. As always, I will never share private information.

Join the over 80 Champion Athletes With Diabetes. Send me your story today!
 

By StephenS | Tagged , | Comments (2)

TWO Champion Athletes with Diabetes.

January 21, 2016 – 9:10 am

I was thinking the other day, it’s been way too long since we’ve posted a story about one of our Champion Athletes With Diabetes medal winners. Let’s rectify that.

Today, I’ve got two great stories… one about an 11 year old from Belgium, and one about a 15 year old from India. That’s right… Europe and Asia are in the spotlight today.

Zeno is a stellar football player in his home country of Belgium, where he lives with Type 1 diabetes. You know, football that is actually played with your feet, and not your hands (unless you’re the goalie). The rest of us call it soccer. Zeno turned eleven back in November, and this past summer, he competed and won as part of a team that captured the European Champions League under 11 championship. Later, his indoor team won the Limburg trophy as the top under 11 indoor team in Belgium.

His father Ronny says that Zeno’s training is pretty intense. He’s training four days a week, and between the training and the matches it can be a challenge to keep his glucose in a stable range. Which he does very well:
“During the game in the weekend, we have noticed we need to put more attention on the moment of the game (in the morning or in the afternoon) and the place of the game ( Home or away). Also the food is important before and during the game.

We, his parents and his brother of 13 years, are full of respect for his individual efforts to maintain his sugarlevel.”

Zeno’s brother Milan has been instrumental in helping with everything too. As a result, I sent him a medal as well. Because support is super important.
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This truly has been a team effort. Congratulations Zeno and Milan!

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Fifteen year old Jahan is a pretty awesome badminton player. In Mumbai, where Jahan lives, badminton is a pretty big sport. He also lives with Type 1, and just like Zeno, he doesn’t let that slow him down. In fact, even though he’s just 15, he’s competing in under 19 age group events. He was recently part of a doubles team that finished second in the Mumbai Suburban District Championship. And he’s now on the Mumbai district under 19 team, where he will compete at the zonal level very soon.

As you can see from the photo, he’s pretty fit for a fifteen year old. His father tells me he was excited to receive the medal. We’re excited to see Jahan succeed.
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How about you? Have you been knocking off your athletic goals while living with diabetes? If you are conquering diabetes at the same time you’re conquering your competition, I have a medal just like the one above for you too. Here’s what you do to get one:
 
 
1. The athlete receiving the award must be living with diabetes.

2. The athletic event must have taken place in the last six months. For now, we’re going with a pretty loose interpretation of the word “event”. If you feel you’ve accomplished something important to you, that’s an event. ‘Nuf said.

3. Send me an e-mail at champswithdiabetes@gmail.com. Tell me your name, name of the athlete (it’s okay if it’s you), and your address (gotta know where to send the medal). Most important, tell me what athletic goal was accomplished, and when. Extra points if you tell me how you felt accomplishing the goal. Full disclosure: I reserve the right to use your testimonial here, on Twitter, and on Facebook. I will not use your name if you don’t want me to. As always, I will never share private information.

4. When you receive your medal, it would be great if you post a photo of it around the athlete’s neck. You can send a Tweet to @ChampsWithD (hashtag: #champdathletes) or post it on the Champion Athletes With Diabetes Facebook Page.
 
 
I salute you, Champion D-Athletes. It takes a boatload of courage to compete, or maintain an exercise routine. Heck, sometimes, it’s everything we can do just to get out of bed. Getting out of your comfort zone and taking that brave step is something that should be recognized and rewarded.

If it’s a big deal to you, it’s a big deal to me too. I want to support you, or support the Athlete With Diabetes in your life. Don’t wait… send me an e-mail for your award. C’mon… there are plenty more where these came from.
 

By StephenS | Tagged , | Comments (0)

The athletes among us.

August 21, 2015 – 9:01 am

The fact is, I have a number of Champion Athlete With Diabetes medal winners to talk about. Somehow, I got sidetracked and haven’t talked about it for a while.

Then I received a couple of e-mails in the past week about a couple of athletes who are growing, learning, and reaching their athletic goals while hauling diabetes around with them everywhere they go. Those people are fantastic, and they make me want to be like them.

If you live with diabetes, or someone close to you lives with diabetes, you know it’s hard. Sometimes, diabetes is a needy, clinging thing that requires constant attention. If you can deal with that and are still motivated enough to chase your athletic dreams, I am in awe of you and your achievements.

Previous medal winners have come from far and wide: as close to me as Northern Virginia, as far away as Trinidad, and also New Zealand. And those medal winners have minted their medals in a variety of ways: half marathons, basketball, curling, lifeguard competition, and so much more. We’ve given away over 30 medals, and I still get pumped every time I read a new e-mail from a D-athlete.

Every athlete’s story is a unique one, but they all leave me with the same feeling. The feeling that they are greater than the medals they wear. It’s not an overstatement to say they are inspirational. It’s not too much to call them heroes.
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So let’s raise a toast to our wonderful athletes. And if you are conquering diabetes at the same time you’re conquering your competition, I have a medal just like the one above for you too. Here’s what you do to get one:
 
 
1. The athlete receiving the award must be living with diabetes.

2. The athletic event must have taken place in the last six months. For now, we’re going with a pretty loose interpretation of the word “event”. If you feel you’ve accomplished something important to you, that’s an event. ‘Nuf said.

3. Send me an e-mail at champswithdiabetes@gmail.com. Tell me your name, name of the athlete (it’s okay if it’s you), and your address (gotta know where to send the medal). Most important, tell me what athletic goal was accomplished, and when. Extra points if you tell me how you felt accomplishing the goal. Full disclosure: I reserve the right to use your testimonial here, on Twitter, and on Facebook. I will not use your name if you don’t want me to. As always, I will never share private information.

4. When you receive your medal, it would be great if you post a photo of it around the athlete’s neck. You can send a Tweet to @ChampsWithD (hashtag: #champdathletes) or post it on the Champion Athletes With Diabetes Facebook Page.
 
 
I salute you, Champion D-Athletes. It takes a rather large amount of courage to compete, or maintain an exercise routine. Heck, sometimes, it’s everything we can do just to climb the stairs. Getting out of your comfort zone and taking that brave step is something that should be recognized and rewarded.

If it’s a big deal to you, it’s a big deal to me too. I want to support you, or support the Athlete With Diabetes in your life. Don’t wait… send me an e-mail for your award. There are plenty more where these came from.
 

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Thank you for your support.

June 16, 2015 – 11:10 am

It’s that time of year again… the time when riders are out on their two wheeled vehicles, getting ready for the ride of a lifetime. Or lifetimes. Yours and mine.

These riders are training for the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes, which is held in several locations throughout the year. Today, I’d like to feature five riders, most of whom you probably know already, especially since four are also diabetes bloggers.

A rider needs to raise at least $2,000 to be allowed to join one of these rides. That’s the kind of money I can never even hope to raise, so the least I can do is support the riders who can (or who are close). I hope you’ll click on the links to their pages and help support their rides. The money they’re raising will go toward research to help make a future with less, and then hopefully no, Type 1 Diabetes. Here they are, in no particular order.
 
 
– Our first rider does not write a blog. But he has been featured on other blogs, including this one back in February 2014.

Bob Parant will be riding in Burlington, Vermont again on July 25. Bob’s a 43 year veteran of living with Type 1, and he never lets it get him down. Read his inspiring story here. And:

Support Bob’s Burlington, Vermont ride
 
 
– Moira McCarthy Stanford writes a compelling blog at Despite Diabetes, chronicling her life as the mother of a young woman living with Type 1 Diabetes. She’s been a tireless advocate for a long time, and three years ago, she participated in her first Ride to Cure Diabetes. This year, she’s participating in two rides—LaCrosse, Wisconsin on August 15, and Death Valley on October 17.

The best part for Moira will be in August, when her daughter Lauren will join her for the first time. Their stories are amazing, and you can help them both get to their destinations by supporting their rides. Here are the links:

Support Moira’s LaCrosse, Wisconsin ride
Support Moira’s Death Valley ride

Support Lauren’s LaCrosse, Wisconsin ride
 
 
– Jeff Mather is a beast of an athlete. He writes a very interesting blog at Jeff Mather’s Dispatches, and right now, he’s diligently working on training for a complete ironman triathlon: 2.3 mile swim, 110 mile bike, and a full marathon. All in the same day. All with Type 1 Diabetes along for the ride. He’ll be taking a break from his training (who takes a break from training with a 100 mile bike ride?) on July 25, when he’ll be in Burlington, Vermont for his latest JDRF ride, one of several for him in the past decade.

Support Jeff’s Burlington, Vermont ride
 
 
Jeff will probably spend part of his time in Vermont riding alongside Victoria Cumbow. Victoria writes at her self-titled blog about life with Type 1, her life as a new homeowner and resident of Nashville, Tennessee, and her absolute love of transportation on board her bicycle. Her first JDRF ride was two years ago in Death Valley, and she completed the Nashville ride a year ago. This time, she’ll be in Vermont, after already completing a sprint triathlon and a half marathon this year. Just… wow.

Support Victoria’s Burlington, Vermont ride
 
 
Last, but certainly not least, is Alecia Wesner, writer at SurfaceFine. In years past, she’s been a top fundraiser for JDRF walks in New York, where she lives and works. This year, she’s decided to give up sneakers for bike shoes, and head to Vermont for her first 100 mile ride. When I read what she writes about it, I think she may be unsure if she’ll make it. Regardless of what she says though, I think she’ll do great. And she’s bringing her sister along for the ride too!

Support Alecia’s Burlington, Vermont ride

Support Paige’s Burlington, Vermont ride
 
 
I’m not sure I know what else to say except how much I appreciate what these athletes are doing to help all of us living with Type 1 Diabetes. I hope you feel the same way, and I hope you’ll either join them or donate to help them on the ride of a lifetime. Many lifetimes. Yours and Mine.
 
 
 

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