Help Me Help Hanselman Help Diabetics

This bracelet hangs on my wrist and is a pretty good metaphor for me these days. It’s scratched, it’s bent, it’s beat up, and it’s hanging in despite some rough wear over the last year. The first three words engraved on the back sum up the central aspect of my life since June 11th, 2009: “James H. Holmes. Diabetic.” (OK, so that’s three words plus an initial. Go with it, OK?)

I’ve gotten a lot of attention at the Wright Patterson clinic since last summer when, at 45 years of age I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Most Type 1 diabetics come about in early childhood, a few in teens, and a very few in their 20s.  Turns out some bug got in my system and went to war with my pancreas. The bug won, and now the bracelet symbolizes a major part of who I’ll be the rest of my life.

Everything’s working out more or less fine, so please don’t flip out about me. Exercise coupled with discipline around my already very good eating habits are serving me well. Thank God this happened to me later in life when I’m better able to deal with it instead of some years prior when I would have just put a serious chip on my shoulder.

With all that laid out, go read Scott Hanselman’s blog post about his Diabetes Walk coming up later this year. Hansleman’s an amazingly open guy about his life experiences with diabetes, and with his huge reading audience his goal of raising $50,000 is absolutely reachable. His few words about kids with diabetes are better written than I’ll ever be able to write up.

Do me a favor: go donate a few bucks. Not for me, not necessarily for Hansleman, but for those diabetics, current and future, who are in great need of help fighting and surviving this disease.