The Short Story
As of this writing, I am 47 years old. I’m at that age when you start to understand that life is really short, and it’s a lot better when it has a purpose.
When my son Max was 3 he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It was a scary time for Max, and for us. The picture above is of my wife giving him an insulin shot, one of at least 4 injections he’d receive every single day until he got an insulin pump about a year later.
That picture breaks my heart, but here’s the good news: Max is 17 now, and I’m proud to say that he has become a wonderful young man with an awesome sense of humor (and, mercifully, his mother’s good looks).
He is also now capable of sending a Titleist into low earth orbit. Don’t believe me? Click the image above to see Max absolutely murder a golf ball. Is 115 mph swing speed and 278 yards of carry any good? Sheesh!
The point is: Max is a great kid, but he deals with a 24/7/365 disease that most people don’t fully understand. If he’s not disciplined and careful there can be serious consequences. But Max is also very lucky in many ways: we’re able to see great doctors, he has the latest and greatest insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor, and he has a great group of supportive friends.
Some kids aren’t as lucky as Max. And that’s where Camp Ho Mita Koda can make a huge difference. I’m proud that the M4Max Challenge now helps hundreds of kids each summer grow in mind, body and spirit.
The Longer Story
If you’ve stumbled into this Masters pool before, you know my emails and social media posts are generally written to appeal to the inner 12 year-old in all of us. Think Happy Gilmore meets Augusta National.
However, each year I write one “serious” note. I spend a lot of time on it. The following was sent during the 2020 M4Max Challenge, and I think it’s worth posting again here:
November 15th, 2020
Why I Do This
My son Max turns 13 tomorrow. He was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes almost 10 years ago, when he was 3. The truth is, if Max had been born 100 years ago, he wouldn’t be alive to see his 13th birthday; until 1921, being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes was always fatal within 18 months. A century ago Type 1 Diabetes was called the “wasting disease”, as those who got it – almost always children – died of starvation as their bodies could not correctly break down and utilize the food they were eating. It was horrific.
In 1921 two young Canadian doctors, Dr. Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best, were the first to isolate and administer what would become one of the world’s greatest scientific discoveries: insulin. After seeing their discovery work in dogs, they gave their new medicine to a young, emaciated girl who was on death’s door. The insulin brought her back to life, and she would go on to live a long and full and happy life.
I sometimes cringe when people make jokes about eating candy or sugar and getting diabetes. But it’s understandable: most people don’t really understand the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. But here it is: Type 2 diabetes is super common and the kind of diabetes most people have – 95% of all diabetes is Type 2. This form of the disease means the body isn’t able to use insulin the right way, mostly because of diet, lack of exercise and family history. In contrast, Type 1 means your pancreas simply doesn’t make insulin, period. There is no “cure” for Type 1 Diabetes except for the continued use of life-saving insulin; Type 2, on the other hand, can be controlled, and effectively cured, through diet and exercise. And perhaps most importantly, if you have Type 1 Diabetes, nothing you did caused it. Nothing. Scientists still don’t understand what triggers the pancreas to stop making insulin to cause T1D.
Like most non-Type 1 Diabetics, my blood sugars hover between 95-105 throughout the day and waver very little. Max’ blood sugar looks like a Richter scale: he might be 150 one minute, and 30 minutes later he’s 475 and then an hour after that he could crash to a dangerously low 45. His blood sugar levels are affected by what he eats, stress, hormones, exercise and other factors, so controlling them, even with an advanced insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor, is really tricky. His blood sugar levels are CONSTANTLY on our mind. Because the truth is, if Max can’t control his blood sugar levels there could be severe consequences, which, honestly, I have a hard time even writing about.
Years ago I read about Camp Ho Mita Koda. I read how the summer camp gives kids a break, in a way, to just be kids. To meet other kids who understand the unique struggle they’re dealing with – and will always deal with. I read about how the place has changed many lives, forged lifelong friendships, and given many kids who were frightened or embarrassed the confidence to live full and amazing lives. This little Masters pool has become a critical lifeline for funding the camp – those of you who have participated for several years know that just 3 years ago the camp was on the brink of collapse. Through the heroic efforts of a new board, and an amazing Executive Director in Ian Roberts, the camp has continued operating and serving many kids. While the programming was scaled down somewhat due to Covid, they were the only T1D summer camp in Ohio to operate this year, and they did so in a safe way. The early contributions we received in the Spring were critical.
So, thank you for reading this message, and more importantly, thanks for participating and supporting a great cause. I continue to be GENUINELY ASTOUNDED at the way so many people have given so generously, and not just always in cash. This pool would not be possible if it weren’t for the work of Ed Levens and Eric Pastoor, guys who I didn’t know but happened to stumble into this tournament and offered to help. 2020 has been an extraordinarily trying year for so many; I’m so grateful for your participation and support this year more than ever.
It’s time to get back to the ridiculous memes and Dad jokes. As I write this the Final round is already underway. It’s Sunday at the Masters. Thank you for participating in the M4M, and if you’re on the Leaderboard and have a chance down the stretch to grab the $10k prize – just try to keep breathing.
Best,
Chris (Max’s proud father)
