Gerod is a young man not unlike any other. He enjoys all the typical things that young men do such as football, basketball, and track. You wouldn’t think anything was wrong with Gerod unless you happened to catch him checking his blood sugar one of four times per day or manipulating his insulin pump. You see, Gerod has type I diabetes. And like millions of others throughout the world, Gerod has to duplicate physiologic processes that you and I take for granted. If Gerod doesn’t give himself the proper amount of insulin, serious complications could result.

Gerod was diagnosed with type I diabetes on August 19, 2007 at a routine sports physical for football. The date is remembered since it was such a life changing event for both Gerod and his family. Fortunately, he had not experienced any major complications prior to diagnosis. Initially, he had to check his blood sugar 8 times each day with finger sticks and give himself 4 daily insulin injections. The major adjustment during that time was establishing a regular regimen of food intake and knowing what it felt like to have a blood sugar that is too high or too low.

There were also a lot of questions initially. Gerod’s parents wondered if they were at fault somehow by feeding him the wrong foods or exposing him to something when he was younger. His brothers also had questions about their risk for getting diabetes too. Gerod is an identical twin, and his twin does have a 50% chance of coming down with the disease while his other brothers have only a 10% chance.

It took about a year for Gerod and his family to adjust to their new lifestyle. Gerod now has a pump for administering subcutaneous insulin which requires that the site be altered every 3 days. He still has to perform finger sticks but only 4 times daily including once at school at lunchtime. He eats on a regular schedule and makes healthy food choices. He has to carry a kit with him at all times that includes snacks for times his blood sugar feels too low. He also has supplies to re-establish his insulin injection site in case it gets dislodged or pulled out. Gerod remains active in basketball and track, so he has a special routine that he uses for his sports activities.

Now that Gerod and his family have gone through the initial period of shock and adjustment, they want to do everything they can to help others while at the same time working toward a cure for this life-changing disease. They are active members of the Indiana chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and participated in the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes in October last year and will participate again this year as Gerod’s Gang. They are a Mentor family and Gerod served as a youth ambassador for the Walk. Since Gerod loves to draw, he only felt it natural to entire the JDRF Funny Car Contest where his goal is to raise $5,000 by August 14, 2009. This is where you can help. I have included a link in the link section to Gerod’s Funny Car entry. Please donate if you are able, and if not, at least forward this article to friends and relatives. JDRF has made great strides toward a cure, and Gerod would like to help them finish this task so that if his twin is afflicted, he won’t have to go through what Gerod has.

To learn more about type I diabetes, click here.