Meet Art

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• Birthday: May 21, 1958
• Family members: Mindy (wife) and Austin (daughter)

When were you diagnosed with type 1?

Officially diagnosed as type 1 when I was 40 years old.  So…you can become an insulin-dependent “juvenile” diabetic at any stage in life!

What were the circumstances leading up to your diagnosis?

When I was 40, on Thanksgiving weekend, I got a bad case of the flu. We were supposed to visit family in Richmond and I told my wife and daughter to go on without me.  They tried to call me several times over the weekend and I could barely answer the phone…and told them not to call. I just wanted to sleep! When they came back the next day, I was non-responsive and they couldn’t wake me up. So they got me to the doctor. And I was then diagnosed as a non-insulin-producing Type 1 “Juvenile” Diabetic.

How has your life changed—what do you do differently—since your diagnosis?

I have learned to be painfully aware of how food, exercise, insulin and stress can affect my blood sugars and have tried to live a much healthier lifestyle.

What’s the best advice you ever received about living with type 1?

For several years, I attended the Diabetes Training Camp, a training program for adult Type 1 diabetics who participate in triathlons. I was put in a camp with world-class triathletes who were training for Ironman competitions. While very intimidated at first, I learned first-hand that diabetics do not have to limit themselves from doing anything that a person without diabetes would do. I have since participated in the 100-mile JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes and many triathlons. The only difference is that you have to do a bit more planning and preparation…but that can be a fun challenge!

What advice or tips do you share with other people living with type 1 and their families?

Accept the disease and live your life to the fullest! I know that there are things totally out of my control. I have accepted the fact that I could be standing in front of a group of people, experience a low, and act like a total idiot! I know now that the only thing that will help prolong my life—until a cure is found—is rigid control and balance of diet, exercise, insulin, and stress-reduction. And the only thing that will expedite finding a cure is by raising the money needed to fund research!

We are closer to a cure than we have ever been. Please don’t let twenty-one million diabetic children and adults suffer any longer due to inadequate funding for the research and testing that is needed to rid the world of this deadly disease. Get involved in our local chapter of JDRF and do your small part for yourself and others.