Welcome to JDRF Bay Area’s blog, One on 1, a series of interviews with people who live with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Members of our community talk about how T1D affects them, how they manage it, and what they have accomplished despite it. Kathleen Fraser of San Francisco is a triathlete who is one of the 50% of those diagnosed with T1D as an adult. She is a dedicated volunteer and advocate in the T1D community, working with several diabetes organizations in the Bay Area.

When were you diagnosed with T1D and what was it like for you at the time?

I was diagnosed with T1D in 1996. I had been losing a lot of weight and thought I had a thyroid condition. I went to see a doctor, and when I got on the scale at the office I weighed 110 pounds. That’s way underweight for me. Something made me think to let the doctor know that I have a brother with T1D who was diagnosed at age 12. They did some blood work and contacted me that weekend to let me know that my glucose level was over 300. I had no idea what I was in for. It didn’t settle in for a while.

How has your outlook changed over the years?

After the initial shock, I had support from my husband – I was married at the time. When we moved out to San Francisco, I found a T1D community at UCSF. One of the most helpful things is being part of a community. You really don’t know you’re missing that until you have it. I wasn’t necessarily looking for it but when I found it, I thought ‘Oh wow, this is really enhancing my life.’ That’s when I started volunteering for JDRF, and then worked there as a staff member. Living with the T1D community became a catalyst for developing a deeper sense of myself and compassion for others who are going through their own struggles. I don’t want to minimize the challenges of T1D, but right now I feel like I’m on an upswing. I’m feeling more positive. It’s taken me a long time to really build the resources, good friends and a support system that make me feel like I’m going to be OK.

You’ve been participating in a lot of endurance activities, from running to swimming to biking. What motivates you?

I’ve been participating in triathlons for more than nine years. It all started after I had gone to Diabetes Training Camp for people with T1D. The camp offers a week of multi-sport athletics at any level, with support and coaches. It attracts people from all over the county. After that, we got a group together to do a half IronMan. We still get together for events around the country and we call ourselves the “Pancre-ass kickers.” I also have my “type 1 gal pals” and it’s strictly because of them that I signed up for IronMan Arizona in 2013. These friends motivate me to never let T1D stop me and to be part of something bigger than myself. Last month, I participated in Alcatraz Crossing, a swim from Alcatraz Island to Saint Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco.

How do you manage your T1D while exercising?

I use different strategies for each sport – swimming, biking or running. I learned a lot at Diabetes Training Camp. I think of myself as an athlete first, and the fuel that my body needs to perform. Then I think of T1D management and what is needed to support that fuel. Like everything with T1D, there is a lot of trial and error. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. I would never say that my numbers are in a target range for an entire race. For me, it’s a matter of having different strategies to rectify that. I have a pump and a continuous glucose meter. Technology is a very useful tool in my daily life and certainly while exercising. But even that is not always perfect.

Tell us about your dog Ransom.

I had been thinking about getting a service dog over the years. I thought, what could a dog teach me? It turns out that living with someone gave me a level of comfort, and that changed when I moved into my own apartment earlier this year. I was really feeling nervous about living alone again. So I decided to apply for an Early Alert Canine. Ransom and I were placed together in July. Owning a dog is a huge commitment and lifestyle change, and service dogs go everywhere with you. It was a lot of work at first. He was trained when I got him, but then I had to be trained and we had to learn a lot about each other. Now it’s great and I can’t imagine my life without him.

What’s it like being out in public with a service dog?

Having an Early Alert Canine is like wearing your pump on the outside and it invites people to come up to you and ask you about it. You’re outed as a person with T1D. You have be ok with no longer being invisible. I have become an advocate for service dogs and I take the opportunity to educate people about T1D. I also let people know that he is working and to try not to distract him. I keep a pack of cards in his vest with Early Alert Canine information so I can let people know where to learn more.

What would a cure mean to you?

Immense gratitude and power of the people. I would be most overwhelmed by all of the people who came together and worked so hard for a cure. I would feel so much gratitude for the donors, researchers, JDRF staff, volunteers, and the people who don’t have T1D, who helped make it happen. It would be this unifying, amazing, huge victory.