Heroes No More?

So I'm continuing my slow boil over the fact that Medtronic isn't considering diabetics "Runners 40 years and older, who have had diabetes for more than 15 years" for their Global Heroes program.

After Jerry let me in on the fact that this is a NEW guideline this year, I decided to see how many previous "Heroes" would've been ineligible under this new criteria. I was able to uncover three:
From the 2007 Class:

Scott WieboldScott Wiebold

Cartersville, Georgia

Wiebold, 36, a Type 1 diabetic, has an insulin pump.

A Type 1 diabetic for 27 years, Wiebold decided to try pump therapy after meeting other diabetic runners at a half marathon in Kona, Hawaii.

“At the time I was taking 4 to 6 insulin shots a day. I realized that I needed to get better control of my diabetes if I wanted to run a full marathon. After seeing and talking with other diabetics with insulin pumps, I knew that an insulin pump would be an essential tool in reaching my athletic goals.

“My insulin pump has given me the freedom and flexibility to train and complete three marathons. I am in the best shape of my life. To me, running marathons with diabetes is an opportunity, not an obstacle. It’s an opportunity to discover how strong you are, to prove you have the discipline and determination to achieve your goals, and to inspire others.”

From the 2006 Class:
  • Jerry Nairn, Chandler, Ariz. — Nairn has run 30 marathons and achieved a personal best time of 3:31:21 last year. He was diagnosed with diabetes as a high school cross country runner. But now, he uses his insulin pump to regulate his blood sugar so he can focus on a perfect run. Finish time: 3:38:18
  • Dave Thoen, Bloomington, Minn. — Thoen developed diabetes which made running marathons seem impossible. He received an insulin pump that gives him the flexibility to lead the active lifestyle he enjoys. He ran in his 14th Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon this year. Finish time: 3:55:27
Hmmm.. Know who else is ineligible? Missy Foy - the first diabetic to run in the Olympic Marathon trials.

One thing to add here. I personally have never signed up for the Global Heroes program. I briefly considered throwing my hat in the ring this year, but decided I wanted my fall marathon to be Steamtown. But I always thought that it was a very very cool idea and had been on my "future goal" list.

Shame on you, Medtronic: VERY uncool.

Comments

  1. Run For Life11:35 PM

    I don't have diabetes but that disappoints me still. I'm positive seeing others that manage Type I properly while being active for a significant amount of time would be inspiring for those newly diagnosed or unsure about what they are capable of achieving.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anne Findlay6:05 AM

    This is very disappointing. It would be helpful (but perhaps not so helpful) if Medtronic explained their reasoning behind this. Look at Bill Carlson, the first diabetic to run an Ironman back in 1983. He has had diabetes for 35 years and is going to do another Ironman this year for his 25th anniversary of that first, legendary event. He is a hero to me and inspires me to keep working on my fitness goals with the hope that I can be as healthy as he is in another 15 year with the disease. It seems like the only reason Medtronic would implement this rule is an unreasonable and uneducated fear of litigation.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The gun in my basement.

Image
In my basement, I have a safe. And in that safe, under expired passports and birth certificates, there's a gun. It's unloaded. Hasn't been loaded in probably twenty years, and yet every time I take it out, I check to make sure. If you're a gun nerd, it's a 9 shot .22 revolver. On this website , it says that "it is true that many people have been killed by a .22 LR in the course of history," but the writer concludes that this weapon is a bad choice for self defense. I didn't buy it for self defense. I didn't even buy it. It was my father's and after he died, my mother gave it me, along with an Elgin watch he'd worn for years. The watch was weathered and worn and I took it to be restored. The jeweler refused, saying it was worthless. Two decades later, the watch is still in my jewelry box. There's no need for it to be locked up. I have no idea if this gun is in my possession legally. No idea if my father had a permit for it, or w...
Read more

Happy D-Blog Day, Uh, I Guess...

So according to diabetics blog-wide, today is D-Blog Day, the day when those of us affected by diabetes are supposed to blog about it. Or draw awareness to diabetes... Or something like that. I'm really a bad poster child for the disease. Not because I'm not in great control (actually, I am), but because I've just never been bothered by the disease so much. Red sums it up well in Shawshank Redemption: "Get busy living, or get busy dying." So if living means three blood sugar tests a day, so be it. If living means being hooked up to an insulin pump, go to it. That being said, I feel for anyone with diabetic kids... I'm a tough guy about the disease. I wouldn't be if my kids had it. If either of my kids had diabetes, I'd be screaming about the politicians who are spending money on wars instead of research, and I'd be yelling about the schools that make it difficult to be a diabetic in the classroom. But my kids don't have diabetes, so instead I ...
Read more

The Bright Side

“ And if you ever get scared, look on the bright side: You’ve got a new life.” – Amos Lee Last month, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Since then, I’ve tried to write this essay a few times. The first attempt followed a narrative arc rife with suspense, with a few years of frustrating doctors’ visits, mysterious symptoms that came and went and the all-around sentiment that the batteries that powered my body were no longer able to sustain a charge or be fully refueled at the end of the day. But if you Google Lyme disease, you realize there’s nothing unique about that story. In fact, the reality that my own diagnosis came only two years after all of this started makes this a much shorter story than it is for many. The theme of the second version was more pitiful, tinged with regret about what this had taken from me over the past two years and what it might take in the future. But honestly, that one didn’t get far at all. If there’s a good time for something like ...
Read more