Lifescan is my new best friend

Do you have one of these bad boys? Jesse does. He has silver, pink, lime, and black. His favorite is pink. (It's the new 'black', says he).





A shout out to our local Lifescan rep, Scott Short. Just days after I started working at the Executive Director of our local JDRF chapter (and I was still staring at the walls wondering exactly what it was I was doing there), he stepped in and introduced himself. We had lunch. Over that lunch, as we got to know each other, I told Scott about my vision of a getting a bunch of people with type 1 together to do the Ironman Wisconsin. The word "documentary" was said. We spun our ideas.





Fruition: And so it appears through a lot of great people with great vision, a partnership is born. Charles Renfroe and the team at Lifescan, you rock! Thanks for seeing what a great "product" we are...and we are indeed.





Many the diabetic Ironman athlete inquires: how the heck am I going to test my blood sugar on a bike during the event?





My guys (and girls) are happy to show you how - and with this TINY meter glued on to your handlebars (made of sleek carbon of course), you got it made....





I don't need to post a million comments about Diabetes Training Camp - go to http://www.triabetes.org/ and read the athlete's blogs - they are AMAZING.... but you HAVE to check out this photo of our own Johnny Moore sporting the sexiest tshirt on earth while standing on the Great Wall in CHINA!



Where do you wear YOUR Triabetes Tshirt? You don't have one yet???? Dude, GET ONE and send me photos of you wearing it. Want one? Shoot me an email at curejesse@gmail.com.

Biking 40 miles tomorrow.........see ya on the road!

Making the Team: 2008

Thanks for reading! If you think I should be the next fully-sponsored member of Team Evotri, please write down the URL of this web site and have it ready for voting when you click the EVOTE button below. Thank you!

Contest #2 for Evotri.


500 words or less to illustrate my personality...





















Summed up: I'm fun and silly, I don't mind watching a group of hammers stopping in Montana to change my flat even though I am perfectly capable of changing it myself, and I can occasionally "dress the part".



And to tell you my commitment to the Endurance Community:


















I not only do the Ironman, but I am assembling 12 type 1 diabetic athletes to play one on TV. For real. http://www.triabetes.org/.



This isn't a popularity contest for me. It's about sending a message. Take note of every picture I put in this post. Whether it's a photo of a Ride to Cure Diabetes in Montana, or Death Valley, or a JDRF Gala, running with an Ironman friend who does the Ride to Cure Diabetes for me each year, or me posing with my son with diabetes, or me posing with my diabetic peeps in San Diego to promote the Triabetes project...are you seeing my message? I bring a message:



A person with diabetes can do what you can do. Go out there and inspire.



Why do I do it? Read all my posts below. I do it for Jesse. First. But I do it for John, Steve A, Steve C, Dave, Anne, Brian, Bill, Clayton, Maddie, Prentice, Peter, Stacy, Miles, Sean, Justin, Aaron, Lauren, Norm, Jim, Vaughn, Sarah, Bobby, Phil, Joe, Shawn, Larry, Joe, Kirch, Sam, Jenny, Colin, Casey, Daniel, Eric, Emily, Elisa.



A bit mushy? Maybe. But the names above are real and I am missing a few names of people I love in the list above by accident. And you know who you are...

Jesse - the diagnosis anniversary

03/03/00

A 3 year old boy was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. For days before he was incredibly thirsty. He was lethargic. He would walk up the stairs and ask me to carry him. I knew something was wrong. On a Friday evening at dinner time, he ate spaghetti and begged for 3 glasses of milk. And fell asleep on the couch. I threw him in the car and drove to the emergency room. I'm not a religious person. But I guess I was praying. I was thinking, "Please. Please, do not let it be diabetes." And I had a sudden thought. No, WAIT. Please don't let it be cancer, or something that will take him away from us. Diabetes, we could live with. Diabetes, we would overcome. Diabetes, wouldn't take over our lives and destroy it.

It's a familiar story I would imagine to many who take the time to read my blog. I've said many times over the years, something that just easily comes to mind for me, "Sometimes the path in life leads to darkness...but sometimes that darkness is our friend." What does it all mean?

It means, I have met the most incredible people because my little boy was diagnosed exactly 8 years ago. It changed my life in positive ways. The road has taken me to Washington, DC to stand before Senate hearings, talk to important people who make decisions about research, steer others on my same path. It has lead me to the best career on the face of the earth as the Executive Director of the Western Wisconsin Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I have seen people rally around me in support. And personally, it got me on a road bike, it got me to participate in Ironman, and today, it has put me on the Triabetes path to film a documentary about amazing Type 1 athletes.

Today I signed Jesse up to take a 3 day canoeing trip with other type 1 kids through http://www.insulindependence.org/ and Wilderness Inquiry. He didn't want to sign up at first because it's scary. But he met the guides today and changed his mind. When the guides asked him why he wanted to do it, he said, "Because I want to support my mom on her Ironman."

Huh. Aren't I on this path to support him? I guess we support one another, eh?

Not a Happy Anniversary, but a day to reflect, at the very least. Thanks for listening

Type 1 Snowboard Camp with Sean - I'm exhausted

For the 3rd year in a row, I've brought Sean Busby, type 1 professional snowboarder, to Wisconsin to host a camp for kids. This year another foundation that normally "hosts" it canceled it at the last minute. Sean was receiving sad emails from veteran campers who were disappointed, so we trudged forward and made it happen on our own, me, Miles and Sean.

This year we returned to Devils Head Resort - the place we initially held the event. It was fun to return there and remember a lot of the great memories from our first camp. When the kids came back and thanked me over and over for saving the camp...wow....it made it all worthwhile for remembering this is about the KIDS and I'm glad Sean shares my passion in the "d" world. I've shared that passion with many people over the years and I just really reflected this weekend on those who have held onto the passion over all of these years and those who actually put kids first, and not just say they do. I digress.

What was really cool was to see how much the campers from the first year had improved in their snowboarding skills. I remember being on the hill with those very kids - Alex, Lucas, Jesse - when they were falling down and learning, just like I was! Now they whiz down the hills and halfpipes with Sean.

This year I brought the entire family. Joey (age 7) didn't want to snowboard and chose skis instead. Of course I was thrilled since I broke my tailbone boarding with Sean last year and it still is very tender. The thought of landing on it didn't appeal to me, so I happily put on skis with Joey. He was a natural at skiing! It wasn't long before he was up the chairlift with me.

I got up at 4:30 a.m. to drive Sean so he could get home to study in Salt Lake City. This trip was extra nice because Sean stayed at our house. How cute was it that Jesse's best friend came over to get Sean's autograph? I love snowboard camp and am so glad to be running the Wisconsin Camp again. I started it for Jesse, I continue it for Jesse.

What does this have to do with Triabetes? Nothing. :) But it has to do with the wonderful diabetes and sports world so I thought I would post something. Now, I'm taking a nap, lacing up running shoes and going for a swim tonight! The weather is warming up! Woo hoo!