JDRF One Walk

Yesterday, I braved a wet and blustery Sunday morning to participate in the JDRF One Walk.

I’ve heard of these walks that happen all over the globe each year, with a goal of funding research into a cure for type one diabetes.

To be honest, I don’t know too much about what JDRF does, but perhaps I’m not looking hard enough. However I do know from my own peers in the diabetes community, just how phenomenal JDRF’s impact is through the passionate individuals who are actively raising funds. Thank you.

My effort was, quite honestly, a last minute and half-arsed one. I joined to provide some moral support to my fellow Young Adult Diabetes Committee members, who as a team impressively placed sixth or seventh for funds raised. Go, team!

I am truly inspired by some of my peers who have impressively ran marathons while managing their diabetes in the name of charitable causes. I feel that if and when I do decide to ask the people around me for money, it should be for a cause that I am truly throwing my energy and efforts behind. This was not it. That idea is still sitting in the ‘some day’ basket in my brain, but one that I haven’t lost sight of.

It seems my effort in managing my diabetes around the walk was equally poor. After waking up to a blood sugar of 9.8 thanks to pizza the evening prior, I knew I was off to a less than ideal start. Correcting at the start of a walk that I thought would last ten or fifteen minutes, ended with a low at the finish line an hour later.

The blustery 5km walk took us across the Swan River, down the foreshore, over the new Matagarup Bridge, past Optus Stadium and back to Burswood Park where we were greeted with some rain.

I was equally rewarded for my efforts with a truly dreadful coffee from the coffee van, and overripe bananas from the Coles stand.

This was my first time participating. I had some excellent company around me, and I definitely haven’t lost sight of putting more effort into actually doing something like this. Some day.