• 31 years old, developed diabetes at 25
• Insulin pump wearer
• Marathon Runner (4 since using pump). All for Team Diabetes.
• Animas Corporation Employee 1/01
• ADA Associate Volunteer Leadership Counsel member in California
• Diabetic Youth Foundation Gala Committee Member and Youth Mentor
• Nominating Member of the JDRF/Greater SF Bay Area Board of Directors
• Co-Founder of Insulinfactor.com
• National Motivational Speaker at National Sales Meetings, Diabetes Conferences, camps and support groups
• American Diabetes Association, Tour De Cure Public Outreach Committee

Excerpt from Endocrine Metabolic Medical Center (EMMC) E-News (sent to 4,500 Type 1 patients nationwide) 1/03:

Saturday January 11, 2003

"Its amazing to me the array of feelings pushing yourself to the limit can stir up...
I woke up this morning at 7:15 a.m. realizing that I was already late to meet the Team for our 14 mile training run. I threw on my running shoes and woke my husband, Greg, half hoping that he would say he was too tired...or that he would talk me into going to breakfast instead. But of course, he popped right out of bed excited to go. We met up with the team at eight and there was a lot of nervous energy in the air. The Team had been training for the past month; however this is the longest run we have had to date. (I on the other hand have not been training...I had a horrible reaction to antibiotics and was deathly ill for the past 3 weeks.)

Maps of the intended course were passed out and we were on our way. The run felt good enough at the start...it was a wet, cool morning, but refreshing all the same. We ran down Great Highway toward Lake Merced at our own pace and the solitude was welcoming.

As I hit mile 4 my blood sugar was at 96...I took a swig of gatorade and kept on running. By mile 6 I could see Greg gaining more and more ground in front of me as my speed started to disintegrate. By mile 7 I began to doubt if this was such a good idea. With each step came another reason why I shouldn't be training for a marathon...I have been sick for three weeks...I don't have enough time to train...I am the only Type 1 on the Team...I will never be able to raise enough money for Team Diabetes...I am 31 years old, way too old to run a marathon, etc., etc.

I rounded the bend of Lake Merced, just as a very determined runner sped past me in the opposite direction...I looked up and realized it was Dr. Michael German. My heart skipped a beat and I started to nearly sprint to catch up with Greg who was now a good 50 yards ahead of me. I caught up to him (taking him by surprise) and said "Do you know who that was?!?!? That was Dr. Michael German!! He is going to find a cure!!" Greg looked at me somewhat perplexed by my behavior and I said 'Dr. German is one of the leading researchers at UCSF...he and his colleagues are going to find us a cure!! So pick it up a notch, we have got some serious training to do!!!'

With my new found determination and renewed sense of purpose, I finished the next 6+ miles without a single negative thought crossing my mind.

All thanks to Dr. German...just his presence put it all in perspective for me today.
I realized today that this marathon is not about me personally...it is so much bigger than that. I am running this marathon for the close to 17 million people who have diabetes and even more so for the children of those 17 million people...I hope their children (and mine too) will never have to know what their carb-ratio is or how many carbs are in a slice of birthday cake."

maggie@insulinfactor.com