About Me:

My journey towards the Ironman Triathlon began in 2004 after my doctor advised me that my blood glucose levels were high and that I was increasing my risk of complications from diabetes such as eye, kidney and nerve damage.

Most diabetics know about a simple blood test called Hemoglobin A1C that shows where your blood sugar level has been over a two or three month period. My doctor told me the A1C goal for diabetics is less than 7% and anything over 8% means a change must be made. My A1C test results were 9.3% which indicated I was not controlling my diabetes but rather letting my diabetes control me. The news disappointed and frustrated me because I believed I was doing all that I could do to manage my diabetes. I took the news as a wake–up call that I needed to rebalance my daily living and move my diabetes self–care to the forefront of my busy schedule.

In reality, I was one of more than 20 million Americans living with diabetes and caught up in the hustle and bustle of life's daily demands. I'm sure I was no different than many Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans and other ethnic groups who "unconsciously" put their diabetes self–care on the back burner. Yes, this was my life until a good friend reminded me of this:

"Tomorrow is often determined by our actions today."

I embraced this theory as motivation to move past procrastinating about my health and immediately began the process of rebalancing my habits of daily living.

My first goal was to lower my A1C. With the help of my doctor and a nutritionist, I changed my diet and medication, increased my physical activity and I began taking a liquid multi–vitamin. Immediately began to see a major improvement with the stability of my blood sugars. I then joined a local running club called the HeadHunters Multisport club based out of Madison, Wisconsin and began training for triathlons. Within a month of using my new multi–vitamin and surrounding myself with health–conscious individuals, I signed up for the Ironman Triathlon. As a diabetic, I wanted to make a statement to my mind, body and soul that we were in this for the long haul and I was going to push myself and my body to a level that hadn’t been reached before. Finishing the Ironman Triathlon became my passion.

Many people criticized me and said I was setting unrealistic expectations for myself. One of my critics summed it up like this: "You've never run a marathon and never ridden a bike more than 20 miles. You can't swim, you're out of shape and you have poor control of your diabetes. No one in your situation can possibly change his life that much in one year."

That was all I needed to hear. I took charge and rebalanced my life. The result? In just under a year I lowered my A1C to 7.1%, went from 18% to 10% body fat, and completed the Ironman Triathlon. Today, I feel good physically, mentally and spiritually.

If I can do it, you can do it — and I'm not talking just about competing in a Triathlon. You can walk, swim, garden — anything that gets you away from leading a sedentary life. If your diabetes is out of control like mine was, you can move your diabetes self–care back to the forefront of your life. It's just a matter of rebalancing.

I believe that those of us living with diabetes have to give our bodies a fighting chance. I have no idea what this disease will do to my body in years to come. And I know that unless there's a cure, one day diabetes may take my life. Helping other diabetics get back on track is how I want to use my life. I'm confident that if those of us in the diabetic community fight a good fight, in return our bodies will reward us with longevity.

Your Friend,
Aaron G. Perry