Activities and Adventure

The writers of this blog, Evan Deane RN, CDCES & Christine O’Neil RN, CDCES, are employees of Insulet Corporation. The authors’ opinions are their own.

With the weather warming up, I find myself moving more and taking more of my workouts outside.

Have you ever had a goal or dream that you never thought was possible after your T1D diagnosis?

Type 1 diabetes has been part of my life since 2004. It came crashing into my life from out of nowhere when I was 19 years old. As a professional snowboarder, that diagnosis did not come easy - especially at that age in my life.

“Diabetes poses hurdles, but hurdles are meant to be jumped over,” says 24-year-old Jacob Rothstein who has been living with Type 1 diabetes (T1D, or type 1) for almost 4 years and is currently training for the New York City Marathon this fall.

Here at Insulet, we are proud of our many employees who are also Podders™.

As I’ve mentioned in a few previous blogs, I’m a runner.

So let’s talk about a subject everyone loves: stress. Pardon the sarcasm. The truth is no one likes stress. Like uninvited guests at dinner, stress can exhaust even the heartiest of souls, taxing you physically and emotionally, making even the most mundane tasks a Herculean effort.

So as we came to the end of the year, I had an internal dilemma: what do I get my daughters for Christmas? As they’ve gotten older, I’ve been more deliberate about creating memories with them instead of simply buying things that can be disposed of after the novelty wears off.

If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know I’ve been on a quest to be the first diabetic to complete a marathon in all 50 states. This is a journey that began in November 2000 when I hobbled to a finish in the New York City Marathon, exhausted and exhilarated.

On June 15, I packed two suitcases, one for me and one for my two daughters, Avery and Harper. Together, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the airport in Greenville, SC for the start of our summer vacation. Our destination? Not the beach. Not Disney World. Somewhere more unique:

Alaska.

Basketball.  It’s been a passion of mine ever since I was a kid.  Watching the pros, playing the game with friends, even following fantasy team stats.