It was an ordinary day. Talking with my daughter who was telling me that my granddaughter has just successfully finished her first year in college and is back home. I can remember back to when I did the same and how proud I was that I had reached that time in my life. Well, for my granddaughter, it was a major accomplishment since she not only had to battle classwork and constant tests, but she had to battle a lifelong disease known as Type 1 diabetes. She is a real trooper when it comes to coping with the disease, but for the first part of her life, she had tremendous help from her family who were near her all the time. After going off to college this past September, she was on her own to not only do well in her classes, but to do well in her treatment of her diabetes. We have all been so proud of her for how she has addressed the issue, but are glad she has returned to her home for a few months where she has constant encouragement if needed. It has been one hundred years ago that insulin was first introduced as a medical treatment for those living with Type 1 diabetes. I recently read about a 78-year-old fellow by the name of Richard Humphreys who lives in the small area in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania known as Kirkwood who has been living with Type 1 diabetes for 64 of his 78 years. Seems that on this past May 16 he strapped on a backpack with his tent and supplies, picked up his handmade rattlesnake-skin walking stick and began a journey that will take him from his home in Kirkwood to his destination of Camp Ho Mita Koda, which is the world's oldest operating summer camp for children with Type 1 diabetes.
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| Mr. Richard Humphreys and his guide are walking to Camp Ho Mita Koda |
The camp in located in Newbury Township, Ohio which is about 30 miles east of Cleveland. His objective is to raise awareness about Type 1 diabetes and honor the 100th anniversary of he insulin's use as a treatment. He is also trying to raise funds for Camp Ho Mita Koda as well as his own personal trail which is a whimsical walk through nature where children can visit his site in Kirkwood and let their imaginations run wild as they tour his walk through nature. Mr. Humphreys is making this inspirational, as well as somewhat dangerous, journey across the state to prove that people who have Type 1 diabetes can live fulfilling, active lives, while celebrating the advances in diabetes care which make that possible. What makes his trip evermore difficult is the fact that Mr. Humphreys has severely impaired vision due to macular degeneration. He says that he has done so many things in his life just to prove to himself and others that he can do them. He plans to walk about 10 to 16 miles a day and arrive at the camp in late June. He has devised a plan that will take him through several state trails as well as rail trails. His hometown of Curwensville, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania is located about halfway on the journey and he will meet several walking partners at that location. It was back in 2007 that he walked 380 miles from Camp HO Mita Koda back to Kirkwood raising $7,000 for the camp. In 1976 he traveled the globe, ending his trip by riding his 10-speed Schwinn twin super-sport bike from Oregon to Pennsylvania. Mr. Humphreys is a father of three, a retired school art teacher, an environmentalist, a speaker, an author and a former camp director. He has worked all his life to inspire thousands of people to live life to the fullest no matter what may stand in your way. Needless to day, there will be risks with the current 380-mile walk. One big risk is the need to keep an eye on his blood glucose levels and make sure they stay within a safe range. Extreme exertion can cause blood glucose to drop rapidly, which can be life-threatening. He is carrying snack bars to help him maintain his levels and will be on the lookout for roadside produce stands. He will have a supply of of insulin with him also. It was Canadian surgeon Frederick Banting and his assistant Charles Best who discovered insulin as a viable treatment for diabetes in 1921. Without it, the 1.6 million Americans diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes annually, according to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, would not survive. It was a young boy in Toronto, Canada who was suffering from fatally high blood glucose levels attributed to his Type 1 diabetes who became the first person to be administered an injection of insulin. Less than a day later his blood glucose levels had returned to near-normal levels. In 1957, 14-year-old Richard Humphreys was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Had it not been for the insulin, he would have died a few years later. Today he is probably somewhere on his trip that he is making to raise money for those who are working on new techniques to help control Type 1 diabetes. Before testing meters and continuous glucose monitoring systems, he had to judge his levels by how he felt. The newer techniques that he and my granddaughter now have to control their blood sugar have been a big help, but better techniques are sure to come in the future. Dr. Henry John, who co-founded the American Diabetes Association, founded Camp Ho Mita Koda in 1919. The mission of the camp was more than providing a beautiful setting for diabetes treatment, it was a statement to young children that they too can experience a normal life. Mr. Humphreys was the camp director from 1969-73 and then again from 1991-2007. The camp's mission of creating a community spirit is what drew him to the camp years ago. He still has that spirit and thus the walk that he is in the midst of taking at present will renew his energy and be a force in helping young children who now have Type 1 diabetes and are at the camp at present, see that their disease can be conquered. Bravo, Mr. Richard Humphreys!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
PS - Just as I was about to post this story which I wrote a few weeks ago, I read a story in the local newspaper telling me that Richard Humphreys has just returned to his home in Kirkwood after prematurely ending his planned walk to Camp Ho Mita Koda. He completed 90 miles of his journey, but has found the going to rough for his 78-year-old-body to handle. His heart was in his journey, but his body wasn't. Thank you Mr. Humphreys for inspiring all that you have over the years.
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