Skip to main content

Launch With Insulin

Mr. Blackwell really loves racing. In fact, sitting in our garage is an old-ish RX-7 with remnants of several auto-cross taped on car numbers. Unfortunately, grad school has slowed the progress of several "upgrades" to his car (now, our car), bless his heart. So we make due by loading up our cooler and heading down to Birmingham for the IndyCar races every once in a while. This year we went on Saturday instead of Sunday, so we just saw the tail end of the IndyCar qualifying, the Rolex race and the Continental Tire race. But I still had time to check out Charlie Kimball's NovoLog FlexPen car, sign my name, and get doted upon by the Certified Diabetes Educator who was "tickled" to see a Type 1!
 
And even though he drives a car, and I fly on helicopters, we really aren't that different. Charlie is "the first licensed driver with diabetes in the history of INDYCAR" and I'm waiting for my turn to be "the first certified astronaut with diabetes in the history of NASA". See? Not that different. Maybe my slogan can be "LAUNCH WITH INSULIN", similar to Charlie's "RACE WITH INSULIN"? Thoughts?
 

Labels:

Comments

  1. Scott K. JohnsonMonday, April 08, 2013

    Ah! That is AWESOME! Did you get a chance to chat with Charlie, too? He's a great guy.

    I love that you had a chance to sign his car!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMonday, April 08, 2013

    Charlie Kimball is a great sucess story and champion for his cause. Also a true insiration for many. A little known fact in history,,1942, Howdy Wilcox is about to start his second INDY 500, from the outside of the second row, after finishing 2nd the year before, when INDY medical officials find out he was diabetic. At the time he was the third ranked driver in AAA. INDY officials disqualified him, the rest of the drivers petitioned that he be allowed to start, they even attempted to boycott the race, until Eddie Rickenbacker told them to drive or they would never drive again at INDY. Relunctently they raced, and Howdy's car, now driven by Maury Rose, went out after 50 laps. A sad story for Howdy, but look how far the sport has come and deversified. Maybe Charlie carries Howdy's spirit with him in that car at INDY. I'll be pulling for Charlie this year when the green flag drops at INDY next month. Dad.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Who has two thumbs and loves comments? Nerdy April!!! Type one out and hit publish!

Popular posts from this blog

MCM - Certified Mom

This morning I woke up early, the baby monitor was chirping just a few minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Chris graciously rolled out of bed and set out to re-insert Otto's paci. Meanwhile, I pressed my clothes, curled my hair and brewed some coffee - my standard pre-console routine. After a quick breakfast Zara peeped her head over the railing and I heard a gentle "mama" echo down the stairs. It was still dark, but this little one was ready for her daily breakfast of oatmeal and milk in preparation for a fun day at swim lessons and school. As she sat, eating her "oatsss" (as she calls them), I whirled around the kitchen prepping bottles, gathering outfits for school, and ensuring all the swim lesson supplies were set out. It's hard leaving Chris to take care of both kids in the morning (#momguilt) so I try my best to complete as many get-ahead tasks as possible, in hopes his morning goes smoothly. 
This morning schedule description may seem mundan…
Post a Comment
More Nerdy This Way! »

MCM - On Call

It's definitely Monday. Otto spit up on my work clothes this morning, I forgot to brush my teeth and I sat down in my car forgetting to clean the layer of sand from the beach yesterday. Whoops. But, it's also MONDAY!!!!! Which means you get a special look behind the proverbial curtain of Mission Control in a series I'm dubbing "Mission Control Monday". We all need a little "boost" (pun intended) at the beginning of the week, so why not get it from the heart of Manned Spaceflight itself - NASA's Mission Control! 
This week I am highlighting the little known fact that sometimes, as an ADCO Specialist, I am scheduled to be "On Call". It just so happens I am "on-call" this week! Even though we don't have a sweet 1990's pager, the ADCO on-call is a Specialist with the cumbersome responsibility of having their cell phone strapped to them at all times. Yes, even during the night. Yes, even when you have a 3 month old. Yes, just…
Post a Comment
More Nerdy This Way! »

Critical Space Item: Handle With Extreme Care

Someday I want to open a box. The box will be neatly wrapped up with an excessive amount of packaging. Its contents will have been years in the making, and even though it won't weigh much, this small box will represent a huge step forward.


As most flight hardware begins, the space-rated closed-loop insulin delivery and monitoring device inside the box will be sterile and stark. But as the batteries whir to life and insulin is placed within, it will become an extra appendage, an external pancreas, for this Type 1 astro-hopeful. Bluetooth connections will be made and doctors, hungry for telemetry from my bionic body, will be at the ready. We will rely on each other - he on I for his very existence, and I on him for my continued existence. Together we will make up one whole, completely functioning, Type 1 Diabetic astronaut.

Admittedly, this dream feels further and further from reality. I have lived with this disease just under 20 years now, and the cure has always been "just 5 …
3 comments
More Nerdy This Way! »
01 09 10