In January, JDRF GA launched our newest event, the AT/T1 Challenge. We’ve been in contact with many of you who say you’re psyched for this event because it’s just a bit different. Want to learn more?

All About The AT/T1 Challenge- a Virtual Info Session
Wednesday, February 18th at 6:30pm
RSVP to Jane at jkramer@jdrf.org

In the meantime, we wanted to share why a few of our first registrants were so excited to sign up! Meet three of our families below!

PAMELA JACKSON AND KEVIN POWELL
Alpharetta, GA

What excites you about the AT/T1 Challenge event?
The AT/T1 Challenge struck me as a really great new challenge to raise money for Type 1 Diabetes Research. I’ve done tons of JDRF walks and those are wonderful and inspiring, but this was something totally new to tackle, and, while it will be tough, will be incredibly rewarding and fun to share with my donors!

What or who inspired you to get involved?
I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes since I was 10 years old. I had a rather rough diagnosis – my doctors didn’t catch it for a while, so I ended up in the ICU after almost slipping into a coma and was in the hospital for a few days. Less than a week after I was released from the hospital, I had been scheduled to go on a backcountry snowshoeing trip through an outdoor education program at my school outside of Seattle. My family was probably absolutely terrified to let me go (I’m assuming thoughts of “we’re going to send our ten year old, newly-diagnosed daughter out in the middle of nowhere!?!” were rapid-firing in my mom’s head), but my new care team was absolutely insistent that I go so I could understand that diabetes will never hold me back from anything I want to do (and yes I was absolutely fine and had fun showing off how brave I was with my “finger-pokes”).

This hike is so reminiscent of that – I think people often assume that people with diabetes cannot or should not do physically challenging things, or be anywhere that’s not within a 5 mile radius of an emergency room in case something happens, but making sure we’re still pushing ourselves to do new and exciting things is as important for us as it is for anyone else.

Who is joining you in taking the AT/T1 Challenge?
My boyfriend Kevin Powell will be hiking too, which is really exciting since we’ve often talked about doing larger hikes (Machu Pichu and the like) in the future. We’ve been together for several years, and he’s been such an amazing supporter of my health – diabetes related or not. He’s incredibly supportive and understanding, while never playing “diabetes police” (i.e. can you eat that, what was your last reading, oh that’s not good!). I’m excited to share this experience with him, and ever grateful for his support!

What’s your hiking experience?
We hiked a lot when I was younger, but I haven’t ventured onto many trails in Georgia! I’m a bit partial to larger mountains, but I do like Stone Mountain a lot. When I was six, we hiked the Grand Canyon. We went fairly early in the year, right as the last of the snow was melting at the top, and at the time, I was the youngest hiker so far that year (younger kids had been going down on mules, but not hiking), which I was ridiculously proud of (I was not a humble child…). It was a great adventure, particularly because we camped in the bottom before hiking back out the next day. I’m also really lucky to be from Hawaii, and the trails into the rainforest on Oahu are gorgeous. It’s always great when you can end a hike with playing in a waterfall.

What’s your favorite trail food?
I have my favorite organic protein bars (Isagenix), which are a major staple for me because they’re healthy but they keep my energy and blood sugar up and steady. And who can resist trail mix, especially when it’s just an excuse to pop back a few M&M’s!

 

TOM DUNCAN AND FAMILY
Snellville, GA

What excites you about the AT/T1 Challenge event?
I have always wanted to hike the AT and felt like this was a great opportunity to hike part of it and raise money for a great cause! Definitely a win-win!

What or who inspired you to get involved?
My son, Wesley, has a friend, Hunter Dye, who was diagnosed with diabetes in third grade. Until then, I really didn’t know much about it, or how hard it was to manage. We had no idea what it was like until he came to our son’s birthday party and saw him having to monitor his insulin and give himself shots when it was time to eat pizza or cake. He was so brave and strong, but it was so hard to see such a young boy dealing with such a serious disease. His parents told us about the walk downtown and we decided to be a part of the “Hunter’s Heros” team and bought shirts for the whole grade to wear to school to show him that we were all behind him!

Who is joining you in taking the AT/T1 Challenge?
I am hiking with my brother-in-law and nephew. We take a lot of family vacations and the three of us enjoy taking hikes together. When I heard about AT/A1 we talked about it and decided to participate together. This is a real challenge, as I had wanted to hike the AT 4 years ago and started training for it, but had a “heart event” requiring a stint. Since then I have been slowly building back up to the point that I believe I can achieve this challenge.

Do you have a favorite hike?
I have enjoyed hiking the loop trails at Cataloochee valley/Elk Preserve in NC.

What’s your favorite trail food?
Peanut butter on anything!

 

PATRICIA MAPLES AND FAMILY
Pigeon Forge, TN

What excites you about the AT/T1 Challenge event?
We love hiking. It is something Gracie (age 7, living with type one) has enjoyed doing with us since she was 3. We haven’t let T1D stop us either! We are excited about raising money for JDRF. We are also looking forward to the personal challenge of hiking 10 miles in a day!

Who inspired us to get involved?
Gracie did! She is my 7 year old granddaughter. She was diagnosed with T1D when she was 4; 2 weeks before she was supposed to start pre-K. She fights every day and will have to continue to fight until there is something better.

Who is joining you in taking the AT/T1 Challenge?
Hannah Brown, Gracie’s mom. Patricia Maples, Gracie’s Mimi. Bridget Bradley, Gracie’s adopted BB, and adopted Aunt Jo Evans.

Have we ever hiked before?
We have always lived in Sevier County, TN, at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My kids grew up hiking so it was only natural that we would introduce Gracie to hiking also! We have a few favorites which include Abram’s Falls, Kephart Prong Trail, and Grotto Falls.

Favorite trail food:
Gracie loves her Blow-Pops while hiking- perfect for keeping her sugar where we want it. Other favorites are granola bars, clementines, and peanut butter and honey sandwiches!

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If you’re like us, meeting these hikers gives us even more great reasons to anticipate an awesome weekend in the mountains in April. Don’t miss out on the fun- join us for the inaugural year! Space is limited, so register today!

The AT/T1 Challenge
April 24-26, 2015
Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawsonville, GA
www.ATT1Challenge.com