A few years ago, I was sitting at work and was the recipient of a voice mail from my physician....he told me he needed to talk to me right away.  I called his office back, and the staff interrupted him from his patient visit, and he told me the bad news.....I have diabetes and he needed me to come in right away.  I kind of laughed it off, but deep inside, was scared to death.....had no idea what this was, other than it was bad. 

At that day, my life changed.....my years of abusing my body and being overweight had finally come back and smacked me in the face.  I wondered what I could do, could it be reversed, and how could I make the changes that would affect my life in a positive fashion.....but did very little to put the plan into action, other than cutting cookies out of my diet.  In short, I was in denial....if I ignore it, it will go away.  Bad idea, kids.....denial is not an effective means of managing diabetes!

Fast-forward to 2012....my life had honestly never been better, married my best friend in the whole world Christa, enrolled in grad school at CSUCI, and was living pretty well in denial of my diabetes....simply thought that taking my pills daily was enough.  One day, while at an appointment with Dr. Richard Anderson in Camarillo, I was informed of the reality of diabetes.....you have a likelihood of losing your eyesight.  I remember his words hitting me like a 15lb sledge.  Denial was over, and I was now officially scared.

The positive of my story is I finally realized, with the help of Dr. Anderson, that denial is not a means of taking care of diabetes...I need to actively be involved in the management of my disease, and do something about it.  Denial will not give me the chance to see my grandchildren graduate from college, grow old with Christa, and will eventually kill me.  I purchased a bike on Craigslist, started vigorously watching my diet, and am making substantial progress towards my diabetes being under control (in addition, losing 45lbs to date).  I ride every day I can....sometimes even more than once a day. 

I am committed to ride and raise money in this inspirational event not because 26 million people in the United States have diabetes, and I am one of them.  I consider myself one of the lucky ones....I can do something about mine, as I know about it, and am actively managing it.  However, not everyone is as lucky.....and I want the chance to give to those who need.  I am not asking for much.....even if it is the change you find on the floor of your car, it is something.....oh, and the donation is also tax-deductible, but you should check with your CPA or financial advisor on that one....

Chances are, you also know someone who has been affected by diabetes and you already know how important it is to stop this disease.  if you are getting this emailed link from me, you obviously know me and that I have diabetes, but are you aware my sister, maternal grandfather, Brett Michaels from the band Poison, as well boss are also affected?  By making a donation on my behalf or by joining my team, you will be helping the Association provide community-based education programs, protect the rights of people with diabetes and fund critical research for a cure.

I truly appreciate your support. Together we can Stop Diabetes!