The vision of Insulindependence is to revolutionize diabetes management by *inspiring* people with diabetes to set personal fitness goals, *educating* them on adaptive management strategies through hands-on experience, and equipping them to *explore* their own individual capacities.  Triabetes is one of the programs under Insulindependence and I am honored to have been selected as the Triabetes Captain for the Southeast Region for 2010-2011.  I have dedicated myself to building on my 33 plus years of experience in diabetes self-management and living with Type 1 diabetes to complete the Ironman St. George on May 7, 2011.  I see this as a unique opportunity to make a genuine difference for others living with diabetes, both individually, and collectively as a member of the Triabetes team.  It is my personal hope that my effort, and that of my fellow team members, will inspire other diabetics to set their own fitness goals and remain active as a key element in their diabetes management plan.

While training for, and participating in, this event will provide unique challenges in terms of physical and mental capacity, I hope to learn more about succesful diabetes management so that this information can be shared with others.  Over the course of the coming year I also look forward to building of an awareness of the various Insulindependence outreach programs and expanding participation in the Triabetes group by developing relationships that will help the organization continue to expand.

 

My involvement as a 2010-11 Triabetes Captain will allow me to align my personal goals with an organization that believes that inspiration provides the stimulus to seek education, leading to the desire and the know-how to explore all that can achieved. It is my hope that achieving my goal of completing the Ironman St. George as a member of the Triabetes team and a person living life to the fullest with diabetes will inspire others with diabetes (Type 1s and Type 2s) to follow a similar path, setting fitness goals for themselves and striving to accomplish things beyond their expectations.

Please consider supporting me as a 2010-11 Triabetes Captain with a tax deductible contribution.  No amount is too small (or too big!!), but to make this interesting I've used both ounces of creativity that I possess to come up with the following as suggested contribution amounts:

Swimming Support Level - the water temp at the start of this year's 2.4 mile swim was 59 degrees - $59 contribution

Biking Support Level - the biking portion of an Ironman covers 112 miles - $112 contribution

Running Support Level - just a marathon at the end of the day which covers 26.2 miles - $26.20 contribution

Ironman Support Level - the total event distance is 140.6 miles - $140.60 contribution