Team Type 1 doesn’t let type 1 diabetes hold them back. It fuels them!
Team Type 1 members held a video chat on November 16th at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. You can view their chat at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/27074449
For Triathlon Team member Sebastien Sasseville the Arizona visit represents an opportunity to return to where it all began. Here is his story.
When I came to Arizona for the 2008 Ironman, I had no idea the experience would change my life. I had been to the top of Mt. Everest a few months before, and I was looking for a new challenge. What I got was way more than just a challenge: I stepped into something that completely changed my lifestyle, transformed my beliefs about what I can or cannot do, and got me in the best shape of my life.
As an athlete, I feel that a part of what I need to do to be successful is share my journey with others, and that’s exactly why coming back to Arizona to speak at the Children’s Hospital means the world to me. I can’t wait to meet with the patients and share the things I’ve learned on Mt Everest, racing Ironmans, and most recently from a 250km ultra run across the Sahara dessert – which I will have completed in late October.
For me, Ironman Arizona will be a race that’s “just for fun” since I’ll still be recovering from the Sahara race. The Sahara race has been my training focus race this year, and the closer I get to it, the more scared I become! But again, nothing great comes easy and the journey to Egypt has been full of incredible lessons and I look forward to sharing all of them with the kids in Arizona.
I’m thrilled to be competing in Ironman Arizona for the second time! I’m looking forward to share with kids and their family about training for an Ironman with diabetes, how diabetes can be an advantage, and how exercise can help us better manage diabetes.
Other incredible athletes from Team Type 1 will also be presenting. I’m convinced that the way all Team Type 1 members feel about their diabetes can be contagious: Diabetes doesn’t stop us, it fuels us! We’re all exited and honored to come in Arizona to share our stories. Looking forward to meet all of you!