Craig Vaream’s Twin Peak Challenge!

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Craig Vaream has decided to commemorate his 25th anniversary of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes with what he calls two “personal peaks.” This past February he completed his first “peak” by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. He will continue his journey this fall, by running in the New York City Marathon, his first full marathon in 23 years. In conjunction, he’ll campaign to raise funds and awareness for the Breakthrough T1D.
Though no small feat, those 26 miles will likely seem easy compared to what the husband and father of two accomplished this past February, when he reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. “The climb to the summit was inspired to prove to myself that the disease has not slowed me down, even after all of these years,” says Vaream, who works in banking and coaches soccer and baseball for his kids’ teams. “I had never done climbing of any kind previously and knew getting out of my ‘comfort zone’ would push me even harder to succeed, as well as make success even more gratifying.”

After training extensively via outdoor hikes and gym sessions, Vaream began his ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro with four other people. He climbed 10-15 hours a day through a punishing atmosphere that ranged from a rain forest at the base of the mountain to sub-zero temperatures at the peak. On the third night, he had to use a hand-warmer to jump-start his glucometer, which had frozen in the frigid air. The higher he climbed toward the 19,341-foot summit, the tougher it became to monitor his glucose levels, carbohydrate consumption, and insulin intake. “As we climbed higher, I noticed that my body was moving slower and my mind was not as sharp,” he says. “This forced me to recalculate the amount of insulin I was planning on taking to ensure my altitude-affected mind was doing it properly. On several instances, I noticed my double check of the amount I should take proved I had made an error previously.”

Finally, on the sixth day, after waking in the pitch-black and relying on headlamps to navigate their path, Vaream and his remaining two fellow climbers reached the top of the mountain. The overwhelming sense of fulfilment he felt, looking out onto the world below, was just what he’d hoped he would experience when he first laced up his hiking boots. “My best takeaway from the climb is that anything is possible for me even with T1,” Vaream says. “Even after having this disease for 25 years, I am certain that my best is yet to come!”