Mike Norwood, Founder, Wears Woody

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 1978 at age 11, only three months after my younger brother.  I think the shock lasted just days for my parents, especially my mom.

It’s such a flash in time now but I vividly remember my mother setting the tone with how well I/we would live on.  She wouldn’t let any of us wallow and instilled a can-do and business-as-usual approach to living with diabetes as if we never got it.   I kept chasing my craze for competitive sports and continued to excel in school through college.  All the while, my mom went on to start a JDF chapter (back then the organization was known as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation) near our hometown, helping to spark the amazing global effort JDRF carries on today.

My brother and I have lived with T1D for nearly four decades and my mother’s energy and ethics live on in us.  I believe everyone impacted by diabetes can and will do great things.  I couldn’t be more excited to work closely with the New England Chapter to do just that.

Wears Woody has been my lifelong pursuit and it all began over the summer of 2011 with an idea—a funky-colored Cape Cod “Woody” and a trailer full of flip flops.  Great quality casual threads, a truly mobile distribution and marketing model, and making a difference for people impacted by diabetes represent not only what we do, but also my ambition to encourage others to chase their wildest dreams…and to look great doing it.

By popular demand, we recently created our Woody’s Drive over Diabetes collection and are thrilled to donate 40% of sales exclusively to JDRF New England!

The entire Wears Woody team is committed to making a bold statement and believe living with diabetes should be no different.  We are proud to partner with local diabetes organizations and donate 10% of our profits directly to those that share our determination and vision to make a memorable, long-lasting impact.

Learn more at www.wearswoody.com and shop the Woody’s Drive collection here: www.wearswoody.com/collections/woodys-drive-over-diabetes.