Special empowerment program to promote confidence in diabetic children

Teens are learning how to shred down the mountain and balance blood sugars in a special empowerment program called Riding on Insulin, taking place December 11, 2010, at The Canyons Resort in Park City. The day, led by Sean Busby—26-year-old professional snowboarder with type 1 diabetes—promotes courage and confidence and shows children with type 1 or type 2 they can overcome mental and physical challenges.

“Our goal is to show teens they don't have to let anything, including their diabetes, stop them from pursuing their passions”

"Riding on Insulin is a place where kids can try a winter sport in a safe environment, share tips on managing their disease, and make new friends who are just like them," Busby says. "I always find myself learning from the campers who come to my camps. It's been the best medicine, aside from insulin, for managing my diabetes."

To Learn More or Enroll, please visit http://www.kidsrocktheworld.org.

"Our goal is to show teens they don't have to let anything, including their diabetes, stop them from pursuing their passions," explained Aimee Greenholtz, founder of Kids Rock The World (KRTW) and member, board of directors, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Salt Lake City. "Sean is the perfect example, and at KRTW Presents Riding on Insulin, we are giving kids the tools they need to go after their dreams, showing they are not alone in the world."

KRTW is a 501(c)(3) Utah non-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment of young teens with diabetes. KRTW focuses on promoting courage and confidence so kids don't let diabetes stop them from living a life they love. Its last program was held at the National Ability Center May 15, 2010, in Park City, where 50 kids maneuvered through a ropes course, overcame challenges and learned to work together in teams, much like life with diabetes.

These annual programs are marketed by JDRF in Salt Lake City, and sponsored by KeyVive, a diabetes lifestyle management company.

Fifty type 1 and type 2 kids ages 12-16 years - from the Salt Lake and Park City area - will be led through this one-day program by snowboard instructors trained in diabetes. A doctor will be at Riding on Insulin all day, and morning and afternoon snacks, as well as lunch will be served. Spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. The program costs $50, and kids can sign up at http://www.kidsrocktheworld.org.

After enduring a complicated diagnosis at age 19, Busby considered retiring from snowboarding. "I didn't know if it would be possible to still snowboard at a high level and have type 1 diabetes," he admits.

Fortunately, Busby found inspiration at Children's Congress—an event organized by the JDRF. "I read stories of 5-, 8- and 13-year-old kids who've been living with type 1 diabetes all their lives," he recounts. "I realized how fortunate I was to be able to live 19 years free of diabetes, and I was determined to give back to those kids—they inspired me to continue snowboarding." Thus, Riding on Insulin was born.

Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin—the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder, resulting from the body's inability to make enough or properly use insulin. A growing number of children and adolescents are developing type 2 diabetes—a form of diabetes that is generally diagnosed among adults. Type 2 is now in epidemic proportion.

Teens face a number of issues when diagnosed with diabetes, including fear, guilt and anger: fear that they will be judged and considered an outcast; guilt in dealing with parents who want to manage their child's disease; and anger at having to eat differently, test their blood sugar throughout the day and take medication or insulin daily.

JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 research. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes children and adults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.4 billion to diabetes research, including more than $100 million in FY2009.