My Journey with T1D:
In January of 2010, my life was changed when I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). I distinctly remember the feeling of being so weak and not understanding why my body was falling apart. While the diagnosis was difficult at first, it was also a blessing to know that T1D is disease that would allow me to live a normal life with treatment and supervision.
Now that I have lived with the disease for over 6 years, I can attest to the fact that life with T1D can be incredibly difficult, unnerving and, ultimately, life-threatening, but with modern medicine and the support of family and friends, I have learned what it takes to live a normal, healthy lifestyle with diabetes.
Although T1D is a daily challenge, for me, having T1D adds additional motivation to stay physically fit and to challenge myself to succeed in many aspects of life. Today, I stay active playing tennis and golf, or by working out at the gym. I also enjoy cooking and traveling with my fiancée, Evanne, and our lab, Asher.
While I am fortunate to have access to medicine and the support needed to live healthily with diabetes, there are still a large number of people who desperately struggle with this disease, but we CAN help. We can all make a difference and make life better for people with T1D. With every dollar that's raised, we can fund research to deliver new treatments and therapies that make day to day life with T1D easier, safer, and healthier until we can prevent and one day find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes!
Fundraising:
I am proud to be part of the ONE Group and to help raise money for JDRF to cure, treat and prevent Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). We are a group of young professionals supporting this mission: helping the 3 million Americans with T1D fight this disease and get closer to finding a cure!
Please join me and help support JDRF, the largest charitable supporter of T1D research, find a cure! You can donate today or I would love if you could join me at The ONE Party on November 9th (or both!), at American Spirit Works in Atlanta, GA. Tickets are $75 per person and there will be cocktails, delicious food, music and dancing. Plus, the proceeds will go towards JDRF's efforts, so it's a party you can feel really good about celebrating.
If you can't make it to the party, you can donate online here or write a check. Please make checks payable to JDRF and include my name in the memo portion. You can mail checks to:
3525 Piedmont Road NE, Bldg 6, Ste 300
Atlanta, GA 30305
Thank you for your support!
About Type 1 Diabetes (T1D):
You may not be totally familiar with T1D. Contrary to popular belief, T1D has nothing to do with diet and lifestyle, and there's nothing anyone can do to prevent it, or get rid of it. Put simply, T1D is when your body stops producing insulin (the hormone that gives people energy from food). Currently, the best treatment is for people with T1D to give themselves insulin shots multiple times throughout the day and to constantly check their blood sugar to ensure it stays in balance.
Can you imagine if every single thing you ate affected the way you felt to the extreme? If every day, for the rest of your life, you had to get multiple shots and battle highs and lows all day long? If you knew you were high risk for kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, amputation and pregnancy complications, no matter how many hours you spent on the treadmill or how many salads you ate?
Today, statistics show that 40,000 people per year are diagnosed with T1D and that the number of people in America affected by this disease continues to rise. By 2050, it is anticipated that over 5 million people in America alone will be diagnosed and there is still not cure for the disease. JDRF is the leading global organization funding T1D research to help in finding a cure. Please donate today to help the cause. Thank you for your support!