May: People Who Inspire Us

Jackson, Kerry, Bev, & Ben

Joey Seber, CDF's Program Director, recently participated in an Oregon State University class, "Exercise for Chronic Disease Management". Students in this class are going for degrees such as teaching, medicine, and sports & medicine. Their current focus is on diabetes, and Kerry, the Associate Professor teaching the class, brought in a panel of people affected by the disease to share their experiences with the class and to participate in a Q&A session.

This was a great opportunity for future doctors, teachers and therapists to gain real-life insight into what it's like to live with diabetes. Here are a few of the panelists who inspired the students with their personal stories:

Jackson - he was diagnosed at the age of 10 with type 1 diabetes and went on a pump at 15-years-old. He was a chef in Portland and decided to go back to school at Oregon State to study Nuclear Engineering ... a great example of living active with diabetes!

Bev - is the mother of Kerry. Bev is a retired nurse and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 55. A piece of advice she gave the class was, when dealing with their patients or students, "to listen to them; they are very aware of their bodies."

Ben - was diagnosed with diabetes when he was a freshman in high school. He graduated from Concordia College on May 1st with a degree in education, and is currently a student teacher at Wilsonville High School. He has attended the Chris Dudley Basketball Camp since he was 14, and is now part of the Dudley staff. We are very proud of you, Ben!