Help Us Change Adam’s Odds

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In the fifteen years of my life, twelve of those years have been spent dealing with Type 1 Diabetes. I was only three years old when I was diagnosed, coming as a surprise to my whole family. The first years were tough on my family and I, with constant insulin shots that I had to take before every meal, and the stress it put on my parents to manage my glucose levels along with all the other stresses of raising two kids. However, this disease did not define who I was, or what I could accomplish. I remember the night I was diagnosed my father slept with me in my hospital bed to make sure I was alright. The support I got and continue to receive from countless friends and family has helped me overcome the obstacles that this disease has brought.

When I was five years old I started Kindergarten at Sousa Elementary School having to go to the nurse’s office to check my glucose levels and administer insulin before and after I had eaten. But even as a five year old I did not want this disease to hold me back, having to go to the nurse’s office four or five times a day. I told my mother and the nurse that I would manage my diabetes without going to the nurse’s office, leading a lifestyle that was responsible, while also getting to still be a kid. While managing to deal with diabetes in school, I have also played sports such as football, basketball, and baseball in which diabetes has been an obstacle. I have had to manage glucose levels while playing double headers on countless weekends ever since I was five. While playing a tournament my glucose levels went so low, I was almost unconscious and had to miss the first inning of a playoff game in a national tournament. On top of my concern with what my grades are and what my batting average is,  I am constantly looking at my glucose levels and managing them. But most importantly when people look at me they see Adam Jackman, baseball player, A student, New York Mets Fan, not Adam Jackman, diabetic. Yes diabetes is a part of me, but it is not who I am.

The drive that I have to not let diabetes define me takes shape in all the fundraising that I do to provide funds to find a cure. Every year I raise about 15,000 dollars for the Breakthrough T1D(Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and walk with my friends and family to fight for a day where I lead a normal life, my mother is not concerned with my glucose levels, and where I can eat and not be concerned with how many carbs there are in my food. In addition to raising this money I send letters friends and family across the United States informing them of the state of diabetes research and management. Not only are these letters asking for donations, but help spread the word about diabetes and our efforts to combat it using the money that they give. I have also done a PSA for the Breakthrough T1D describing my situation and how to donate to the cause for my Bar Mitzvah. This work has been joyous for me knowing that my efforts will someday result in the elimination of this disease.

From the time I was diagnosed to present day the technology that has advanced diabetes management and research has greatly aided my ability to lead a normal life. The insulin pump technology brought a whole new realm of freedom for me. Prior to the pump, I received my insulin through shots that required tedious setup by my mother and were an annoyance to living everyday life. The pump changed that, allowing me to quickly administer insulin to myself without the hassle of setting up a shot, and was better at giving the correct amount of insulin for the food I ate. However, as time went on this pump became out of date, and as I was reaching middle school and high school it could not keep up with my fast paced lifestyle. Thanks to millions of dollars in research from the Breakthrough T1D and others, the new pump could wirelessly connect to my glucometer that measures my glucose levels and a new continuous glucose monitor that constantly measures my glucose levels without having to check my blood sugar with a glucometer.. These advances in technology have helped create an easier way to manage my diabetes and help my doctor and I identify harmful trends in high glucose levels and combat them with insulin dosages.

I try to live my life in an exemplary way, and in doing so I hope for a bright future-going to college, and getting my dream job one day. But all that would be for nothing without a future without diabetes. Almost my entire life diabetes has been a part of it, and I hope that with the research that is being done and the continuous efforts of myself and others a cure can be found.

Please consider making a Fund A Cure donation in honor of Adam and others living with T1D by clicking here.

Adam J Web