Meet Rob

I’m Rob, and my son Jackson was diagnosed with T1D in January 2010, when he was seven years old. One of the biggest challenges my wife and I face as parents is working to ensure that Jackson’s blood glucose numbers stay in range as he goes through his many daily activities. There is always the immediate concern of our son having highs and lows, especially when we, as parents, cannot always be around to provide guidance and help. In the early days especially it was a constant challenge.

We are a very active family – we all do martial arts and also have a passion for running and adventure.  We cycle for fun normally and really enjoy the Sun Life Ride to Defeat Diabetes for JDRF because of the friendly competition on our team and the incredible energy the whole day brings out. We’ve been participating in the Mississauga, Ontario, Ride every year since 2012 and we absolutely love it. Each year we have a whole team of martial artists who wear a traditional karate uniform called a “gi” when we ride.

From all of us touched personally by T1D, thank you so much to all of the amazing and generous people that participate in, sponsor, or donate to, the Ride, and a special thank you to JDRF staff and volunteers for making such a wonderful event possible.

Meet Jessica

Jessica, who is a CA, CPA and currently a manager at a financial institution in Toronto, knows the challenges of dealing with T1D in the workplace. She occasionally deals with situations where her blood sugar is low at work, which can happen at any time, including right before an important meeting. It’s not a feeling she relishes.

“If your blood sugar gets low enough, you feel like you’re not in control, your heart races, you can’t focus, and you might not be speaking properly,” she explains. “If you don’t get a sugar source soon enough, you could go into a diabetic coma. It can feel panicky, and it can be a critical situation – I need to stop everything and get some juice into me right away.”

Fortunately, Jessica’s colleagues know about her T1D and are very supportive. If a low happens before a meeting, for example, and she doesn’t have a juice box handy, she just tells them she needs to go back to her desk for a few minutes.

“They hold the meeting off for a bit; everyone is really understanding,” she says. She’s also instructed her co-workers about calling an ambulance if she ever passes out during a low – fortunately that’s never happened.

She has been riding for the Sun Life Ride to Defeat Diabetes for JDRF for seven years, each year joining work colleagues raising funds on Ride teams.

“I think it’s pretty cool that people in my workplace are supporting others like me with T1D,” Jessica says. “It’s a great cause. I ride for myself and for all of the other people who have T1D, especially children.” 

Meet Sarah

I’m Sarah and I was diagnosed with T1D just over three years ago at 10 years old. Besides the fact that living with T1D will always limit me, I never let it stop me. I can do anything that a person without T1D can do, as long as I am aware of my blood sugar levels. I can do whatever I like to as long as I'm responsible.

Life with diabetes is a daily fight for my life. It's always constant decisions on what is the right choice in certain matters. “What's the correct choice?” “Do I want it or do I need it?” “What's the insulin ratio for this?” My brain is always on a constant run with no stopping, just so I can be the healthiest and safest possible.