Running with Type 1

Matt and I really credit our brotherhood from a trip to Florida we took together in 2006.  We stayed with family in Clearwater, Florida, 3 weeks before I left for college.  I had just turned 19, and he was 16.  I didn't have a car down there, and I was still very much a night owl at that time, so we found ourselves on their back porch talking until 3-4 AM every night.  Never once had we bonded like that before.  We were telling each other secrets, reliving moments of our youth together, asking opinions on various topics, it was like you just met somebody for the first time.   We both endured a not so poetic ending to our football careers.  While all these CTE headlines have taken over the airwaves the last 5-6 years.  Matt was a few years ahead of the wave.  He sustained a pretty nasty concussion during a JV game in Fall 2006.  That was roughly his 4th or 5th suspected concussion, and while he didn't have the science we're becomin...

I arrived on the Robert Morris University campus on August 8th, 2006.  With new earrings, a shaved head, and an athletic frame, I was ready for college football.  I was an All Conference DB and Honorable Mention WR in High School.  I can't even admit that I was the best on my high school teams, but I had some fun moments that I'll always cherish.  My expectations were relatively low going into camp.  I wanted to prove I was in great shape, ready to do what was asked of me, gain respect from my elder teammates, and just survive that August heat in pads.  After my parents dropped me off that morning, reality kicked in.  There were no smart phones yet, myspace and instant messenger were the only real means of communication.  I was actually three weeks shy of joining facebook (proud to say I've been book free for 5.5 years.)  I had no laptop yet in my room, only my thoughts and a reality check were consuming my free time until team dinner. ...

HbA1c. Oh boy.  You would think after 8 consecutive years of 7.6 and lower a1c readings, the fear of my endocrinologist and this number would fade away, nope, not even close. One of the original benchmarks I learned about in regards to diabetes long term care was an, "a1c."  It was explained to me as a 3 month average of your blood sugars, and anything 7.0 and below was considered the goal for a long, healthy chance at life.  I vividly remember my first 3 a1c readings, 6.3, 6.6, 6.8. Summer 2002-Spring 2003.  My Dr's praised me, congratulated me, reconfirming I was on the right path. Then, for the next 5 years, the struggle was real. Let's take a few steps back.  HbA1c, the measurement of a binding molecule in our red blood cells, that when connected with glucose, creates a "glycoslated hemoglobin a1c." This process increases the overall level of a1c in our blood.  The higher the % of a1c, the more glucose there is running through your body, inhibiting ...