"Use what talent you possess - the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."   Henry Van Dyke

The following are athletes' stories in regard to living with diabetes.

Joe
My name is Joe Henske and I'm a type 1 diabetic, marathon runner and an endocrinologist practicing in Chicago's western suburbs. When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the end of my freshman year in high school, my diabetes was the last thing I wanted to think about and certainly not what I wanted to focus on for a career. The further I went along in school, however, the more I realized that I had a unique opportunity to help others with diabetes and having the disease myself gives me a special understanding of what my patients go through on a daily basis.  I know what it is like to stick your fingers 8 times per day, give insulin injections, change infusion sets, and know how terrible a hypoglycemic episode can feel.  I have been involved in research to regenerate pancreatic insulin-secreting cells and am currently involved in research as part of TrialNet to figure out how we can prevent or delay the progression of the disease in undiagnosed or recently diagnosed individuals.

Dan

Hi. I’m Dan Raker.  I’ve lived in the Chicago area my entire life, so it follows that I’ve always been a sports fan and I’ve played sports for as long as I can remember.  When I was growing up, I played quite a bit of 16-inch softball and rode my bike everywhere but, I was also the quintessential gym rat.  I was a basketball addict, played day and night, played on my high school team through varsity year and played recreationally thereafter.

 When I was diagnosed 10 years ago, I had a ton of new stuff to learn: proper diet, testing, and dealing with lows.  Fortunately, I had the help of great doctors, nutritionists and educators to point me in the right direction.  I also figured that continuing exercise was a no-brainer for good blood-sugar control, and would be a key ingredient in keeping myself in good health.

By then, I had given up basketball in favor of mostly running and biking. The prospect of maintaining good health, or facing the risks associated with poorly-controlled diabetes, gave me new challenges. I made a conscious decision to make exercise a normal part of my every day life, as normal as eating and going to work. As an adult this isn’t always the easiest thing to do; just too much other stuff going on. 

Then an amazing thing happened, as I ran more regularly, I started to lose some weight and by losing weight I was able to run faster -- which made me more motivated to run --  which made me lose more weight -- which made me faster – which made me more motivated, etc., etc.  In all, I lost over 70 pounds.  Oh, and did I mention that my blood sugar was in good control this whole time. Up till then I was running mostly around the neighborhood and racing local 5 and 10K races. I now felt the confidence to graduate to bigger races and started running half and full marathons.

Since my wife Becky and I like to travel, I’ve been fortunate to run marathons in some pretty amazing places like New York City, London and British Columbia. Most recently, I completed the Bermuda Triangle challenge in Hamilton, Bermuda, which consisted of three races in three days: a mile, a 10K and a marathon.  My biking has also benefited and during this time and Becky and I have ridden the states of Wisconsin and Iowa end-to-end. We’ve also biked around the big island of Hawaii, and many other states.  

Two years ago, I switched from multiple daily injections to the Deltec Cosmo insulin pump.  I keep the pump connected when exercising, and usually lower my basal insulin rate.  I also carry carbohydrate gel packets to keep my blood sugar from dropping too low when exercising.  While I often wish I did not have this disease, I believe I have become a smarter and healthier person due to it.

 
Fabio

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 13, Fabio Calabria feared the condition might bring to an end his promising athletic career as a cyclist.  However, his strong determination to persevere and the decision to use an insulin pump helped him take control of his diabetes management.  It also provided him with the freedom and choices he initially lost when he was diagnosed.

 With his training routine re-established, Calabria began to show flashes of greatness at some prestigious events. In 2005, he won the New Zealand Under 19 National Road Race championship in a driving rainstorm, out-sprinting Chris Macic. That same year, he demonstrated his prowess on the track with a bronze medal in the 2005 Australia Junior National Track Championships. 

Last season, he won the King of the Mountains classification at the De Bortoli Tour in Victoria, Australia, and placed third at the 25th GP Cementizillo, a one-day road race in Italy.  As one of four pro team members with Type 1 diabetes, Calabria knows he will have the support of his teammates as he embarks on his rookie season as a professional.

 “My advice for other people with diabetes:  Control the condition, don’t let it control you.”                      

 



Lorrie

My name is Lorrie DiCesare.  I've had Type 1 diabetes for about 28 years.  I've enjoyed participating in various sports throughout my life and have never let diabetes get in the way of my professional and athletic goals.  I've always accepted new challenges, especially when it comes to sports.  I love competitions, and work hard to be the best I can be. 

I was diagnosed with the disease at the start of my first year in high school.  I knew managing the disease would be demanding, but being as competitive as I am, I accepted the challenge.  During my high school and college careers, diabetes management was stringent.  Injections had to be taken at the same time each day, along with planned meals.  There were many dietary restrictions, and a meal plan was critical to successfully managing the disease.  I had to be able to adjust to changes in practice schedules and games, as well as stick to the structured diabetes management program that was available at the time. 

In high school, I played three sports, all at the varsity level from the beginning of my high school career.  I played volleyball, basketball and fast pitch softball.  I've played along side many outstanding athletes.  I have earned individual awards, as well as team championships, including a state basketball championship, which I am very proud of.  I continued my sports career in college, by earning an athletic scholarship in fast pitch softball as a pitcher.  After college, I continued playing softball, but switched from fast pitch to competitive slow pitch, traveling the country each weekend to play in tournaments.  I've also had the opportunity to coach girls’ basketball at the high school level and fast pitch softball at the college level.

 Finally, in the late 1990’s, I hung up my glove and spikes and sought out a new adventure.  I started running, biking and swimming, as well as weight training.  My initial goal was simply to remain physically fit and active.  However, that just wasn't enough for my competitive personality.  So, in 2003, I started training for my first triathlon.  During that year, I also started insulin pump therapy.  I love the flexibility the pump has awarded me, and I know that it's important to keep a close watch on blood glucose levels to remain healthy.  I've recently started using the continuous glucose monitor to help keep glucose readings in line, especially during exercise.  Thus far, I've competed in two triathlons and plan on competing in a couple more this summer.  I'm also planning to attend a summer sports camp for Type 1 diabetes to help improve both my athletic skills and diabetes management during exercise. 

As I look back over my 28 years since diagnosis, I can't believe how far diabetes management and technology has advanced.  I do wish for a cure, and hope there's one in the near future. Until then, I'll continue to manage the disease the best I can, and will take advantage of the latest and greatest technologies.  I accept this as a new challenge each day.
 

Tim
My name is Tim Phair and I live in the city of Chicago, and work at a private equity firm.  When I was growing up in Indiana, my parents encouraged my siblings and I to live active lifestyles.   I ended up playing every sport imaginable.  Toward the end of elementary school, I fell in love with soccer.   Immediately after our high school soccer season, while in my senior year,  I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  I was devastated, but determined to keep playing at a consistently high level.

After many letters and phone calls with various college coaches, I ended up playing soccer for Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA.  Although it was difficult to balance my diabetes with the new experiences of being a college student, I enjoyed every minute of my college soccer career.   The experience of having to balance a busy student/athlete life has undoubtedly helped me to become a more organized and healthy diabetic. 

After I left Boston, I began working with Monica Joyce and Dr. Pick.  They introduced me to the insulin pump.  The pump has made my experience with Type 1 Diabetes easier to manage and much more consistent.  It allows me to live on a schedule that I determine, not on a schedule that my blood sugars require.

Over the past several years in Chicago, I have played in hundreds of soccer games, finished an Olympic triathlon and participated in various other activities such as basketball, softball, kickball, etc.  Much like every other Type 1 diabetic, I have had my ups and downs during these athletic activities but have managed to keep it fairly consistent after a lot of trial and error.   Due to soccer games usually being 90 minutes of continuous activity, it is fairly difficult to measure how much insulin you need in your body throughout the game without taking any breaks.  Normally, I try not to have a meal four hours prior to the game.  This only allows the regular basal amount to be in my body at the start of the game.   I like to have my blood sugar in the range of 145 - 165 ten minutes before the game.  At that time I will stop my pump and eat 15-20 grams of carbohydrates to make sure that my blood sugar will not drop drastically during the first 45 minutes.  During halftime I like to drink another 20 grams of carbohydrates and if my sugar has risen above 180, take one unit of insulin.  This will typically get me through the game with a consistent blood sugar without severe lows.  After the game, I usually cut my ratio of insulin to carbs to half and reduce my basal that night by 10-15%. 

Overall, it has been a challenge to keep my blood sugars consistent while playing athletics, but I have also found that athletics are one of the best tools to keep my levels consistent when I am off the field.  I tend to have more problems when I am less active.    I had many college soccer coaches express concern that I wouldn't be able to continue to play after high school due to my diagnosis.  It felt good to play against those coaches and show them that just because someone is a diabetic, doesn't mean their athletic life has to come to an end.



Tamra
My name is Tamra Carl.  I am a former high school teacher and current stay-at-home mom in my 30's.  I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 20.   I have always considered myself active, but decided to take my running to the next level and run a half marathon (13.1 miles).  While I hear it all the time about being involved in new and intense activities, it is true that it is important to test often.  When training for the half marathon, there is one run a week where I go beyond my normal workout level.  As these runs occur and increase in duration, I test myself every 30 minutes, which enables me to see patterns of my glucose levels.  For these longer runs and on race day, I eat a meal 3 hrs. prior to the start, so that I do not have any active insulin in my body (I try to do this as often as possible when I am doing any kind of workout.  If it is not possible to have this 3 hour span, I decrease my bolus for that meal prior to the workout).   I have my best runs when I begin at a blood glucose around 150.  While this may seem a little high, the activity brings it down.  During the runs, I use gel packs to provide me with the appropriate carbs and carry a package of fruit snacks in case I run low (running with a fuel belt filled with Gatorade is also useful).  I use 2 gel packs for the 13 miles.

For runs beyond six miles, I use many of the different capabilities of the Medtronic MiniMed pump.  I sewed pouches into the inside of my running shorts to hold my pump.  I set a basal pattern of 0 for the first hour, and 50% of my normal basal rate for the rest of the run.  At mile 10, I give a bolus of .5 units.  The hardest part for me about training and participating in a race like this is that at some point within 24 hours after the run, I will have a time where I will need about 90 grams of carbs to maintain my glucose level.  It could be a couple hours after the race, around dinner time or 24 hours after the race.  Testing during those 24 hours after the race is very important because there is no definite pattern of when this will occur.  The night after the runs, I use a pattern set on my pump with a lower basal rate while sleeping because your glucose drops during that night.  There were a handful of people that questioned whether as a diabetic I should or could run a half marathon.  Being a diabetic doesn’t mean that I can’t do it, it just means that I have to take the extra time to eat, monitor and adjust my insulin dosage accordingly.

My email address is tamracarl@hotmail.com, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
 

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