Team Hanselman and Diabetes Walk 2010
I'm here to ask you a personal favor, Dear Reader.
Please donate to Team Hanselman and help us reach our Goal of raising $50,000 to Fight Diabetes...
...during this year's Step Out to Fight Diabetes by the American Diabetes Association.
SHORT LINK: Please tweet and spread this link! http://hnsl.mn/fightdiabetes
DONATE HERE: http://hanselman.com/fightdiabetes/donate
This is a technical blog, but I'm not just a technical person only full of source code and pomposity. I've been a Type 1 Diabetic using Insulin every day to survive for 15 years. I've worn an Insulin Pump for 10 years. Here's a stat for you, unless I'm hit by a truck, Diabetics die of Diabetes, not old age.
This is my story. I will be posting videos and information about the diabetic experience about once a month over the summer.
If you aren't familiar with Diabetes, perhaps my explanation on how Diabetes works using an analogy of an Airplane and the above statistics will help you understand how personally painful this disease is.
Two months before my 21st birthday I started peeing a lot. A LOT. Like I was drinking four 2-liter bottles of Sprite a day and was still thirsty beyond belief. We'd just had a family photo taken and I was 130lbs on a 5'11" frame (for those of you outside the US, that's thin.) I was wasting away and looked like death. My father, a Portland Firefighter and Paramedic for thirty years smelled the sugar on my breath and sent me right away to the hospital where my blood glucose level was higher than the meter could read...and it's supposed to be under 100mg/dl.
I spent that spring learning how to give myself shots, four a day, along with a regiment of pills. Twelve years later I have no side effects, knock on wood. Not everyone is that lucky. I recently went to a funeral of a high-school friend who was the exact same age and succumbed to Type 1 Diabetes.
I currently take three shots a day of Symlin while also wearing an Insulin Pump 24-hours a day, even while I sleep. The pump saves me from an additional six shots a day, which I took for 8 years before the pump. I test my blood sugar by pricking my finger between 8 and 10 times a day - that's about 54,750 finger pricks so far, and miles to go before I sleep.
I consider myself lucky though. My 91-year old grandmother's neighbor friend in the 1920's, before Insulin was widely used (it was discovered in 1921) ate nothing but lettuce and eventually died in childhood. I have friends who have been diabetic for nearly 50 years and had to boil large-gauge needles on the stove before injecting themselves with Pork-derived insulin, basing their decisions on a once-a-day urine check to check their blood glucose level.
Diabetes is endemic. Here's some stats from the NIH:
- Total: 20.8 million people—7 percent of the population—have diabetes.
- Diagnosed: 14.6 million people
- Un-diagnosed: 6.2 million people
- 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2005.
- Diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2002.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20 to 74 years.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44 percent of new cases in 2002.
- About 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.
I tell you this not to scare you, or ask for pity. I tell you this because it's the painful truth. It sucks, and it sucks big time. I am constantly and consistently afraid that my son will face this disease in his lifetime. God help the children who get Type 1 diabetes. I was hardly prepared at 21, I can just now begin to imagine what a parent of a 2 or 3 year old would go through after a diagnosis like that. I'm even afraid to say it out loud, it's that unspeakable.
The Goal
This year Team Hanselman, led by myself and my wife, Mo, who had this whole idea, will be walking to fight diabetes on Sept 12, 2010. We have set a goal of raising US$50,000. We can do twice that I say.
If only 5000 of you, that's 10% of you, dear readers, gave US$10 to this cause, we've met our Team Goal. If only 1000 give US$50, well, you get the idea. If you can't donate, that's OK. Post about this on your blog, spread the URL http://www.hanselman.com/fightdiabetes or http://hnsl.mn/fightdiabetes put some of our Diabetes "Flair" on your site!
Last year this time, there were over 5000 people subscribing to this blog (for the technical content, I assume) - this year there are over 14,000.
A Personal Favor to Me
Perhaps you've searched the web and found my blog useful in the past or you've seen me speak at a conference or local user's group. Or, you've hung out here for years (this blog started in April 2002!). Maybe you're a blogger yourself and useDasBlog. Perhaps you've visited my Blog Archives and found them useful, or you read the ASP.NET MVC book or ASP.NET 4 book. Perhaps you listen to my podcast.
If you've ever thought about giving a 'tip' to this blog, here's your chance to make that tip tax-deductible! (if you're in the US) You can also paypal your donation to the email address that is "scott (a t ) hanselman.com" and I will personally deliver 100% of your money myself.
- You can give a tax deductible donation directly by visiting here.
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Perhaps your employer has a matching gift program. Just $20, perhaps $10, perhaps $5, perhaps $100.
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You can always see our current progress at my American Diabetes Association page as well as a list of who's donated!
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Pass around the link http://www.hanselman.com/fightdiabetes to your friends, your family. Email it to your company's internal email alias. Show us the power of blogging, of word of mouth and spread the word.
And please, donate now. In the US, donations are Tax-Deductible and go directly to the ADA. If you like, you can PayPal me and I'll deliver the money myself and I'll match it.
Team Hanselman Diabetes "Blog Flair" and Badges
Please feel free to spread this flair or post them on your blog, and link them to this easy to remember link:http://www.hanselman.com/fightdiabetes. It'll bring folks right here to this site.
If you want to create a better flair, like the one that Jon Galloway created, send it to me, or put a link in the comments and I'll add it to this page for others to use!
LINKING NOTE: http://www.hanselman.com/fightdiabetes brings you here, and http://www.hanselman.com/fightdiabetes/donate takes you straight to the donation site.
SHORT LINK: Please tweet and spread this link! http://hnsl.mn/fightdiabetes
Thanks for your patient attention, we now return you to our regular blogging schedule.
About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
About Newsletter
Scott, not the same thing, I know, but the sudden onset of diabetes was the first (and not followed-up on) symptom of my dad's pancreatic cancer. By the time they figured out what it really was, of course, it was too late.
Also, having personally seen you with the pumps and the constant adjustment you need to do, I know it must take a toll. I'm happy to see you and Mo doing this.
Scott, I have a six year old daughter with type 1 diabetes, and she is a little champion with her finger pricks and needles. I told her the airplane analogy when you posted it last year and she (as well as the rest of our family) loved it. We will be walking this year as well, In Australia's JDRF Walk for a Cure. Best of luck with this year's goal!
You've got tremendous reach with your readership. Props to you for how open and public you are, and more props to you for the money you're raising.
I'm doing my part by contributing some, searching for some company matching funds, and blogging about it myself. http://frazzleddad.blogspot.com/2010/04/help-me-help-hansleman-help-diabetics.html
Thanks, and good luck with blowing past your goal!
Thanks for sharing your incredible journey and for stepping forth to raise awareness. I am truly amazed at how well you deal with it, I mean we've hung out plenty of times together and you hide it so well, and never a complaint.
Anyway, I'll do my little to rally folks to support the walk, and you can count on me for chipping in something.
May God reward you for your efforts.
Glenn
Thank you for all the work you do for us developers. I have benefited from your work for years and am happy to contribute to this cause. Thank you also for bringing your personal story to this. We met at PDC this year but I feel like I know you from the blogs, podcasts, and webinars. Good luck. All you devs who are smarter because of Scott, you know what to do!
--Aaron (San Diego)
I recommend watching Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days and giving it some thought. Yes, one of the guy they helped in that documentary was a Type 1 diabetic. Inspiring!
I'll pray to God for your son. He'll be fine soon and everything would be fine.
In any case it's great that you are doing this for the cause - well done and good luck.
@Nick - please don't post rubbish about something you obviously know nothing about - the onset of diabetes creates massive thirst which a lot of people will counteract by drinking sugary drinks - making symptoms worse. I myself did this. The disease has already started by then and the drinks just worsen the effects.
I came here because Miguel de Icaza retweeted your tweet about this venture so hopefully a lot more people will do the same. So, Best Wishes Scot, my thoughts will be with you on 12 September.
Anyway, just keep going and keep fighting.
The latest Wired Magazine has an article on an "intelligent" insulin pump. Thought you might be interested. --Tom
I'll donate as well. Good luck Scott and way to rally people around a good cause!
What are your thoughts on it overall? I know some people are more driven to find a biological cure for the problem, but this seems like the sort of treatment that really needs to be made mainstream in lieu of an actual cure for the problem.
I've been a long time follower of your blog (and podcast) and they have been a tremendous resource for me, my industry colleagues and my startup. Even our junior resources that now follow you are getting 'hansel-fever' :) The (Terra Media) team will be making a donation to your cause and wish you and your family continued health, and longevity. Best of luck to you and Mo on the 12th.
The ADA is ultimately run by human beings. If they find a cure, all those people are out of a job. I'm not saying anyone there is consciously avoiding funding a cure, but deep-down, it's an incredibly large order to spend your life truly trying to eliminate your entire career.
Awesome effort, just slightly misdirected.
Our son was diagnosed at age four, four and a half years ago now. We have been active in our community with the Walk to Cure Diabetes (with the JDRF) and have done our small part in helping to raise over $100,000 locally. Last year I also joined a national cycling team where we raised just under half a million dollars for the cure.
We have encouraged our son to do whatever he wants to do and lead as active and healthy a lifestyle as possible. Sadly, at 8 years old, he's already had over 16,000 finger pokes. He's also doing MDI (health care program here doesn't cover pumps for kids), so he's had over 6,000 injections of insulin.
Still, he wants to be a geek like his dad - and how cool is that? He wants to get into testing and designing video games. I've actually used you as an example of a 'hero' who's in the tech field. He smiled and said 'really?!' when I showed him pictures of your pump. It makes a parent really happy to see eyes light up like that, so thank you, Scott. Thanks.
I wish you the best of luck in reaching your goal.
Cheers,
-James
Nice video. Glad to see someone else go through the same process as me. I am curious to know why you did not let the sensor get wet before you hooked up the battery. I typically wait about a hour to overnight. Does it make a different with the readings? Also- great work with the ADA walk. Have gathered my friends to do the Tour de Cure ride in September.
I am more than sure that you can get this cured ... by doing YOGA every day.and Anon
... you should at least consider that our bodies are capable of ridding themselves of many diseases...
The fact is that Scott's pancreas, like mine, is shot. It simply doesn't know how to produce insulin any more. There is no diet or exercise program that's going to change this. It's not a question of eating healthier foods, or eating less food, or losing weight, or exercising more. All of those are good suggestions for healthy living, but unfortunately they won't change Scott's condition at all.
Scott has type 1 diabetes. Juvenile onset. His body does not know how to produce insulin, and with our current medical knowledge, it never will.
That's why he's trying to raise money for research.
because you are the best human that i see in my life.
Why don't you give the money you raised to Dr. Danise Faustman? it seems her research using BCG is the most promising clue for curing diabetes type 1 disease.
I support you fully in the fight against diabetes. I know that type 1 diabetes is different than type 2 diabetes but what I have observed is that with yoga, you can definitely keep the blood sugar level in control for type 2 diabetes! I know one has to mind his eating habits as well, but everyday stress and tensions affect diabetics a lot more even if one is eating healthy.
I have noticed that doing yoga, especially pranayama, reduces stress and has helped diabetics that I know, lead a better life. I was not a believer myself, but I have seen results. I think that you should give it a shot. What is there to lose anyways? Its just breathing exercises.
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I'm a big fan of you because I develop websites too and this post really surprised to me... Please take my support in your fight and your case is a strong signal that there will be life for kids and young people with diabetes. Regards.