I was scrolling back in my blog through some old posts, and found this unpublished one from December 29, 2022. Apparently, I forgot about this one and a couple of months back a wrote a similar post and published it. So this is sort of a repeat but who cares?
First, I am not a medical expert, but the experts tell me that Type 2 Diabetes is 90% preventable. This disease, unlike Type 1 Diabetes, has a lifestyle component. It was once unheard of, but now is running at epidemic rates. If I were to ask you what country has more Type 2 Diabetes than any other and you were to guess the good ole' USA, you would be correct. If I were to ask you what region of the US has the most Type 2 Diabetes, you might venture to guess the South. If you did, you would be right again. If I were to ask you what state in the South has the highest per capita incidence of Type 2 Diabetes, you might guess Mississippi. Again, you would be right, most of the time (sometimes Alabama competes with us for the top spot). If I were to ask you what area in the State of Mississippi has the highest incidence of Type 2 Diabetes, you might have picked up on the pattern and answered the Delta. Bingo.
I'm not a socket rientist, but that tells me that we lead the world in the incidence of a disease that is 90% preventable. We not only lead the world in diabetes, but we also lead it in heart disease. Consequently, we need to be aware of these things and work on our health. I once has the pleasure of teaching next door to a physician who moved here from New York City. He personally told me that when he started his practice here, he quickly fell into a state of shock over the level of bad health here in Greenwood and the surrounding area. He, the late Dr. Joseph Assine, told me that "The Delta is the epicenter of the world-wide diabetes epidemic." This is why I have made diabetes awarness the subject of my fundraisers over the last decade.
Why the DFM? In my first ever fundraiser, I sent the money to the American Diabetes Association. They were the only diabetes charity I knew of. After the event, Mary Fortune of the DFM contacted me and asked me to consider them if I ever did anything like that again. She provided me with information on the DFM, and I checked out their website (https//www.msdiabetes.org), and I checked them out on Charity Navigator. They have a higher rating with Charity Navigator than the ADA, and every dollar donated to the DFM stays in the State of Mississippi. So why should I sent money to Alexandria, Virginia when we have more diabetes here in Mississippi than any place on earth? They do an enormous amount of work here where it is needed. That's why the DFM.
What have I done for fundraisers? My original fundraiser was called the Chicot Challenge which takes its name from the body of water at Lake Villiage, Arkansas. I swam 13.93 miles on June 2, 2012, and raised $1,200 which I sent to the ADA. Then I found out about and studied the DFM and switched all my fundraising efforts to them. Each June, I would announce a longer distance and swim again. As the distances went up, so did the donations. My longest swim took place in 2017 when I swam 23.5 non-stop miles. Then my right arm fell off. In 2018, some friends, Wilson Caroll, his son, Spence, and MJ Staples from Atlanta stepped forward and did the swim in my place. I was on the boat and jumped in for the last three fourths of a mile and we all finished together.
I did a couple of more Chicots after that, but by 2021 I yearned for a new challenge. Somehow I dreamed up the Great Geezer Run. The plan was to run from our home in Greenwood to the DFM office in Ridgeland, 107.8 miles via the route I chose. To make a short story long, my legs would not run that far. I made it 33.66 miles on day one, but finished the last two hours walking. Day two saw me starting off with a limp. Day three saw me on a bicycle. I made it down there in five days, and we raised $6,000 the most to that point.
For 2022, I came up with the idea of a quadrathon. We called it Crazy Man Quadrathon, and my training partner, Tyler Kirk, joined me for this new sport. What is a quadrathon? It is a triathlon plus a powerlifting meet. A triathlon is an athletic event that includes swimming, cycling, and running. A powerlifing meet is a barbell sport that involve a max squat, bench press, and deadlift. To the traditional three lifts, we added a log press. Our triathlon was 66 miles (one mile, swim, 55 miles on the bicycle, and ten miles running). We did it June 2nd, my 66th birthday. We also split the run up so that when we finished the bicycle ride, we only had three miles left to run. By the time we got to the final run, my back was so jacked up that I could not even shuffle. I told Tyler to go ahead and finish while I slowly walked the best I could. His response? "No. We started this together, and we finish this together." That's the kind of man Tyler is. Bethany Theilman of the DFM was there to offer protection for us on our cycle leg. She was a lifesaver, and by the grace of God, we raised $9,315. Can you say, "Praise God."
So that brings us full circle to Pool Fools. The plan is that Tyler and I along with some other swimmers will meet at Twin Rivers and swim. Right now, I have a list of eight swimmers. Each swimmer sets his or her own goals, and each swimmer raises some funds. Why Pool Fools? Several reasons. One, it just seemed like a good idea. We can all sleep at home and the logistics are simple. No one at the DFM will be up the night before worrying about me, and poor Bethany will certainly have an easier day. Furthermore, it involves more people. I am old enough now to realize that I cannot do these kinds of things forever. I hope that when I am gone, this effort does not die with me. If this fundraiser is to survive, it must be flexible, and it must be taken up by someone else.
The tentative date is June 17th from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. I am thinking that Tyler and I will swim 7.25 miles. If you want to come by and watch, please do. [If you want to join the swim, set your own goals and raise some funds. If you want to make a donation, you can do that now or even at the swim. I am guessing that the DFM will send someone (they always do) and we can pass the funds off there. If you want to swim, you are welcome to do that. Contact me and let me know how far/long you plan to go. You don't have to swim far. Set your own goals and bring a donation. I will probably work up a schedule ahead of time so that we don't have too many people in the pool at once. As of now (I just added this sentence) I have seven swimmer scheduled to take part. Come on and make it eight.
Pray for this effort. Thank you.
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