Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

If I may, let me take a moment of your time to remind you that we’re still awarding medals for athletic achievement.

I thought it was worth a mention again because, you know, it’s spring, and people are getting out of their houses and doing more to stay active. In fact, you might even be planning to complete a long bike ride, or a 5K run, or even a JDRF walk. Or maybe you just want to see how many numbers you can put up on that new Fitbit.

Hey, I know how tough it is to set a fitness goal and keep it, especially while managing a chronic condition. I live with diabetes myself, remember? I understand that with school, work, kids, set changes, CGM insertions, basals, boluses, stubborn highs, crazy lows, and everything else that diabetes slams us with on a constant basis, our window to get good exercise into our day is smaller than it is for most people. But I also know we’re the type (types?) that don’t let the thought of all of that deter us. People With Diabetes are the strongest people I know, in body, mind, and spirit.

Yet, often our perseverance, our resilience, goes unnoticed. Well, no more.

I’ve still got a fistful of medals to give away to People With Diabetes who are reaching their athletic goals. The criteria is simple and informal. You can write in for yourself, or for someone close to you who’s living with diabetes and bravely overcoming obstacles to reach their goals. So far, we’ve awarded medals to someone who goes to boxing class every week, bikers (Mike and Bob), runners (Kelley, Corey, and Scott), a volleyball player, a dancer, an amputee, and a 50 year Joslin medalist.

Please, please, please, help to add more names to the list.

Here are the rules:

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 or your loved one 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’ve been saying this since the beginning, but it bears repeating here: D-Athletes are amazing. It takes a tremendous amount of planning, effort, and bravery to see a fitness goal and make it a reality. Heck, sometimes, it’s everything we can do just to walk around the block. 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. Help me get some more of these medals out the door and into the hands of athletes! I want to support you or the Athlete With Diabetes in your life. Send an e-mail for your award today.