John and Jonathan

   Jonathan and I had the opportunity to do something pretty cool recently - we met John Chick of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.  John is a defensive end who, with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders,won the 2009 Grey Cup championship and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player for that same year.  It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a professional athlete, but it's all the sweeter when Type 1 Diabetes doesn't stop you.

  John was diagnosed at the age of 14 while already playing football in eighth grade.  In an instant it seemed to most like that was the end of his dreams of becoming a professional football player - not to John though.  Managing his diabetes with multiple daily injections, he continued playing and received a scholarship to Utah State University.

   In his freshman year his blood sugar dipped too low while driving after a practice and he rear-ended a stopped car at about 70km/hr (~45mph) totaling both vehicles in the incident; fortunately there were no serious injuries.  He considered this a huge eye-opener and decided that MDI was not reliable enough and it was time to switch to the pump.  Although the linked video might be considered somewhat misleading in how "automatically" the pump maintains blood sugar, he did find it to be a huge improvement over shots.

   John wears his pump all the time, even when playing, and in six years on it has never broken one despite the physicality of his profession.  He spoke to us in a very matter-of-fact way about how Type 1 has been a part of his life, but never a defining or limiting factor.  He talked about the importance of being positive and believing in ones self, but also how important it is to stay on top of this disease and make sure that it doesn't get an upper hand.

   He also emphasized that just as important as it is to not let Diabetes limit you, don't limit yourself, don't settle.  Yes he is a CFL champion and an NFL player, but being on the team - being on the practice roster - isn't enough, he wants to be the best.  As a 28 year old husband, father of four children under the age of 5, and one of the top athletes in his sport, he knows that there is still more to do and he has no doubts about doing it, diabetic or otherwise.

Pause the audio player and press play below:

   I don't think Jonathan really took in a lot of the detail of what John talked about, but sitting there and watching him stare up at this 6'4", 260ish pound guy I'm pretty sure he got the hint that diabetes doesn't mean the end of a journey, you just have to bring it along with you and bend it's will to your own.

I Thought it Would Get Easier

  I don't think I'll ever forget last year when I started my big JDRF fund raising push for 2010.  I remember making that first video and how tough it was; not technically, but emotionally.  It was even hard to write the e-mails to everyone telling them about what Jonathan and so many others go through on a daily basis and what the real risks of diabetes are even though we try to not dwell on them every day.

  So I don't know why I thought this year would be any easier.  Jonathan is a year older, a few inches taller, and more amazing than ever, but when I have to sit down and really think about it I can't help but hurt when I think about the issues he may have to face.  I remember just how much I hate this f*^%!#@ disease and how really helpless and small I feel next to it.

  Maybe it's a good thing though.  Maybe, if I can focus a little, all those nasty feelings can be channeled to fuel the drive to do something better.  Use the dark side against itself.  I don't know, I guess we'll have to see how that works out. In the mean time, I'll just keep plugging away until I get what I really want.

The "IS Trap"

  Some may argue it is simply a matter of semantics.  I call it opposite perspectives and a life choice.

  It's all about "is" vs. "has".

is   /ɪz/
–verb
3rd person singular present indicative of be.
 
has   /hæz/
–verb
a 3rd person singular present indicative of have.

  To be, to exist, to in most basic terms define one's self. OR To posses, to carry with, present in one's life.

  I made a conscious decision early on that as a father, it is my responsibility to not only provide food, clothing and shelter to my children, but also to teach and to lead and to help them develop their sense of self and become their own individuals.  So, after Jonathan's diagnosis, it didn't take much to realize that it was going to be on me (and my wife, and to an extent our daughter) to do everything we can to reinforce the difference between is and has when it comes to this disease.  There are enough hang-ups, misconceptions, and challenges with Type 1 Diabetes as it is that I can not accept the possibility that it would cause Jonathan to doubt himself or hold himself back from anything in life that he wants to do.

  Before we even left the hospital I made a very clear distinction between "being" and "having" Type 1 Diabetes.  I promised myself and, by extension, Jonathan that I would not let this define who he is; regardless of how far reaching into our lives it could become.

  So, what is the "Is Trap"?  I think it comes down to mostly verbal laziness with a small contribution by societal influences.  Here is a comparative example of the simplest form of the Is Trap:

1) My son is a Type 1 Diabetic.
2) My son has Type 1 Diabetes.

  #2 Was the one I had planned on going with all along.  It's probably the most frequently used line since it pretty much has to be said to preface any statement on the subject when talking with someone who doesn't already know.  I've noticed lately however that my "has"s have been turning into "is"s.  I'm not sure when it started exactly, but once I realized I was doing it, it dawned on me that it was going to be harder to hold that distinction than I thought and that's when I first knew about the "Is Trap".

  One thing I've learned is that you don't necessairly have to tell a child someting in order for them to believe it.  They are observant and open-minded little information sponges.  They pick things up from conversations had with other people, from how we act, and from what we do.  Worse yet, if they recieve conflicting information between what is said to them and what is said and done arond them, then not only is credibility lost, but they will tend to believe that the indirect information is probably the truth.

  Like with so many other things in life, one thing can lead to another and eventually the best intentions can turn into disasters.  So seeing the "Is Trap" really took me aback because I hadn't expected to put my foot in it so easily or quickly.  I'm hoping I've learned from this and can keep it close to me so that I don't slip into a pattern of defining Jonathan by his diabetes as opposed to remembering that is it something that is only a part of his life.