2009 Race

The Video

Cole's story

(As written by Cole and his mom 4 weeks after diagnosis as part of a presentation to his 1st grade class.)
I found out in August of 2007 that I have something called Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a condition where the balance between a hormone called insulin and digested food is uneven. Insulin is made by your pancreas (an organ that looks like your stomach). Insulin helps you take the food that you eat and turn it into energy.
     When someone has Type 1 diabetes they can’t make insulin anymore. The good news is that you can take insulin to regain that good balance with the food you eat. The not-so-good news is that you have to take insulin by giving yourself a shot. I’ve had to take a lot of shots lately. Shots stink.You can also use an insulin pump, which is something that looks like apager, but I haven’t gotten mine yet.
     It is real important for me to have a good balance between my blood sugar(digested food) and insulin.
     Your pancreas works automatically to keep your blood sugar balanced. But because my pancreas doesn’t work as well, I have to test my blood sugar.