Close to Home
There are as many reasons for joining Team Diabetes as there are members of our team but a common thread throughout is that diabetes hits most of us very close to home. We first met Rob Myers when he joined Team Diabetes to participate in his first marathon in Toronto. He came into the local Canadian Diabetes Association office and shared his story about how he wanted to do something for his mother who lived in the United States and was struggling to manage her diabetes. He needed to do something that would make a difference. When he saw Team Diabetes he knew he had the perfect fit. He is a runner and, as he casually mentioned, has diabetes too.
He was diagnosed with diabetes about 7 years ago - just 6 months after his mother had to undergo her first amputation. Scared but determined, he made the decision then and there that he would do what he could to avoid the same fate as his mother.
He engaged his employer Lance Canada in a corporate clothing drive that ended up breaking all records by collecting over 6,100lbs for the Association’s Clothesline program! The Toronto GoodLife Marathon organizers heard about what he was doing and offered up all the clothing that was left over after the race. All he had to do was pick it up! He also engaged Lance Canada’s Wellness Committee who proclaimed November as Diabetes Awareness month to raise awareness about diabetes within their workplace. Rob also spent many hours in front of Zehrs collecting donations and handing out his information and “Running for Ruth” wristbands that he had made to honour his mother.
All the while that Rob was doing all of these great things to build awareness about diabetes and fundraise for Team Diabetes though, he quietly struggled with his own training and diabetes management issues. He had been running at 3:30 am to get his runs in, was more tired than usual from his training, was struggling with pain and didn’t feel he was recovering very fast. It quickly became apparent that Rob’s body was telling him that something was very wrong. Little did Rob know that you just can’t run 30km on 2000 calories, which Rob consumed daily to manage his blood sugar levels when he was running only 10km. Rob’s body was shutting down and his diabetes was getting the better of him.
Rob realized he needed to do something that he never ever thought he would have to do, something he had worked so hard at avoiding…. and that was having the ‘insulin conversation’ with his heath care providers. Rob had watched his mother struggle for so many years so this was a terrifying realization for him. But he also recognized that if he wanted to continue towards his marathon goal, he had to do what was necessary to get and stay healthy.
Like everything that Rob does, once he sets his mind to it he jumps in with both feet. It wasn’t just about getting his own health in order, it was also about getting back to doing what he set out to do. He had to miss his fall marathon but he still went and cheered everyone on and collected all those clothes. He made long road trips back and forth to be with his mother as she underwent another amputation.
Rob is now back on track both with his diabetes management and his training. He ran the GoodLife Half Marathon last May with his mother waiting at the finish line. He also ran the Ottawa half Marathon a few weeks later and has signed up with Team Diabetes to do it all again this year in Toronto. He may even be running it for the first time with an insulin pump!
If you were to meet Rob, you would never know what he has had to overcome over the last year because he just powers through it all with enthusiasm and a smile. In Rob’s own words in honour of his mother…
“My hope is that she will see that her years of suffering have not fallen on blind eyes. She has inspired me to find ways to control my diabetes so that I don’t have to endure the pain and diminished quality of life that she has experienced. In turn, I hope to show others that with a little education and some effort, diabetes can be managed and life with diabetes can be great!”