So I was hoping to find some inspirational or motivational quote about Diabetes to put on my FaceBook page to get people excited about my upcoming cross country bike ride. Ya know, the normal T1D biking across America thing to do. BUT, what I DID find however, were stereotypes and misinformation more than anything else. Like THIS little nugget:
People with high blood pressure, diabetes – those are conditions brought about by life style. If you change the life style, those conditions will leave.
Not sure how the rest of you feel BUT I am honestly tired of people thinking I did this to myself. OR that it’s because I am too lazy that I still have it. That because I ate too much candy or pizza or whatever growing up that I am just getting what I had coming.
In any case I am done feeling guilty for something I didn’t do. I admit that I have never been the best advocate. I was always the person to sit idly by when dumb Diabetes jokes were made. Hell, people didn’t even know I had it so what did they care if they said anything about it, misinformed or not. But NOW I’m not going to let it slide anymore. I have decided to do something that doesn’t fit into that idea of what “diabetes looks like”. To go against the misinformation that so many of us are tired of dealing with.
If they keep thinking that diet and exercise will make my T1D go away, what will they have to say when my T1D is still hanging around after I finish a 4000+ mile cross country bike ride, averaging about 85 miles a day? Well…not a whole hell of a lot I hope.
I have a lot to improve on in the advocacy department. I am still all kinds of embarrassed about my T1 and I am definitely not using it as an ice breaker at parties or anything. This ride is my chance to show T1s and the insulinically non-challenged alike just what your average every day T1 kid can do. BETES BE DAMNED!
It’s when diabetics start standing up against the people that give us dirty looks when we give ourselves shots in public, or try to tell us what we SHOULD be eating, or try to educate US on what causes diabetes, that we will start being treated the way we should be: like people who just happen to have a pancreas that gave up on them. How will YOU inform the misinformed about diabetes today?
If you’d like to help me in my effort to show the haters whats REALLY up, T1D style, I encourage you to visit my campaign page. I’ve set it up so that half of all donations made go to Type 1 Diabetes (this month it is a non-profit called Limitless that helps T1s get into exercise programs while taking care of themselves and raises money for T1D cure research) and the other half goes to college scholarships for young adult cancer patients awarded by the charity that I will be riding for. PLEASE consider making a donation. Just visit the link below. We can help change how people think of us SO much easier if we work together.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/biking-my-t1-diabetes-cross-country-part-deux/x/5447754
Why yes, yes I do 