Rae King Runs for Mom and Family
The Canadian Diabetes Association is honoured to be the recipient charity of Sudbury ROCKS!!! Race Run or Walk for Diabetes, which has raised close to $300,000 since 2006. Rae King shares her motivation for participating this year.
My participation in the Sudbury ROCKS!!! Race, Run or Walk for Diabetes was inspired by my mother. This July she turns 80 years old, which marks 67 years of living with diabetes. Many years ago she was told that having diabetes meant it would be dangerous for her to have children but she didn’t let the disease stop her from becoming a mother. She went on to have five healthy children; three girls and two boys. However, she has faced some difficulties living with diabetes. She suffers from angina, and due to a severe kidney infection she now lives with only one functioning kidney. Advances in research and technology combined with her strong faith in God have enabled her to live long beyond expectations.
In 1990, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. At that moment I vowed that I would make changes to control the disease and take care of myself. Like my mother, I did not let diabetes hold me back from having my children; I have since given birth to a son and a daughter. They are my greatest accomplishments and I plan on being around for them as long as possible.
In 2009, my boss was running her first full marathon in SudburyROCKS and I went out to cheer her on. As she ran past me that day, I felt the urge to participate. I knew I wouldn’t be able to run in the marathon but I could walk it. The next year I volunteered at a water station and told myself again, “I’m going to participate.” I knew I wasn’t ready that year; I was about 40 lbs overweight and needed to condition myself for the walk.
Losing and gaining weight has been a struggle. When I reached the age of 50 last year I told myself, “Enough! Time control the food instead of it controlling me.” I vowed that that this year (2012) would be the year I take on the walk, so I began training. This past Christmas I asked my two sisters to also walk with me in honour of our mother and they agreed. We are all looking forward to walking the half marathon together on May 13th.
For me, this will not only be in honour of my mother but also for others in my family, including myself that have been affected by diabetes. I hope that some day we can find a cure.
For more information on the SudburyROCKS!!! Race, Run or Walk for Diabetes, please visit their website: www.sudburyrocksmarathon.com