Jordan's Story

"Hi, I'm Jordan/@jordhoes! I was diagnosed with T1D at age 12 -- as of this year I will have spent more of my life with T1D than without it! I don't harbor any resentment towards this disease. In fact, the older I get the more I realize that having Type 1 Diabetes has taught me to be tougher, and to never make excuses! I love challenging myself to try new things, push my limits, seek adventures, and take on the world.

Without diabetes, I don't know if I would have had the courage or discipline to take up running. At age 14, I became the youngest T1D to run a marathon (26.2) on record! I ran track and cross country in high school, and was Captain of the Marathon Team in college. Now I'm training for the NYC marathon this November for Beyond Type Run, Beyond Type 1's team of 17 T1D marathon runners!
Without my experiences with volunteering at diabetes camps, I don't know if I would have discovered that my passion is healthcare. I went on to study global health in college, and even studied and volunteered abroad. Now I'm halfway through medical school, earning both my MD and my Master's in Public Health. Last year I actually help diagnose, train, educate, and secure supplies for a new Type 1 Diabetic in rural Guatemala while working with local physicians there. Then I dropped everything and moved to Switzerland for three months to intern at the World Health Organization (that's where I went hiking and took this photo)! Of course having T1D isn't all sunshine and roses, but I wholeheartedly believe that attitude is everything. I am grateful to my parents for never once putting the idea in my head that I was different, disabled, or that having T1D was anything other than just another thing to think about. It's a small part of who I am as a person, but it does not by any means define or control me. 

Now that I'm almost a doctor, each day I not only more fully understand the magnitude of T1D, but I become more frustrated by the stereotypes and lack of public understanding and support surrounding it. I joined Beyond Type Run, and started speaking out in my personal life, to spread awareness, break down barriers, and show the world that it really is possible to live beyond! "
Thank you!

 Jordan