Bike Beyond - The Documentary

Before February 2017, I had never even heard of Type 1 diabetes. I never knew a single person living with T1D and had no family history of either type. I never knew November was Diabetes Awareness Month (aka "Blue November)  or that November 14th was World Diabetes Day. I had no idea who Frederick Banting even was. (He discovered insulin, btw). So, thanks to him I survived this year. Before 1922, being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. You lived about 3 weeks longer, tops. 

The first things my Endocrinologist said to me, "Well, this is the best time to be diagnosed. There have been a lot of advancements in the last few years." At the time, I had no idea what she meant. I didn't know what a 'pump' was. I didn't know of these 'pens' everyone was talking about. 

This year has been a whirlwind of information, pain, emotion, physical change, and great joy. My first World Diabetes Day contained all those emotions and more. I was over whelmed by the Type 1 community and their involvement with Diabetes Awareness month. I took a step back on social media and let the experienced T1D people take the wheel, because I honestly have NO idea what Blue November was all about. My Instagram feed was flooded with World Diabetes Day graphics, blue circles, and "Day __ of the Diabetic Challenge" posts. 

The Myabetic team started the day off with a Banting Birthday Party/World Diabetes Day celebration competed with a cake, hats, decorations and more! It was a lot of fun celebrating with my team + baby Celia! I ended up taking too much insulin for my piece of chocolate cake - how am I suppose to know how many grams of carbs are in that slice? Tough call. 

Later that day, my boss Kyrra (@kyrrarichards), my co-worker Gretchen (@typeonetypehappy) and I attended the Bike Beyond Documentary Premiere in Los Angeles. I had never been in a room with so many people living with Type 1 Diabetes or supporters of the amazing non-profit organization, Beyond Type 1. I was over whelmed by the amount of people, excitement, and the body heat filling the room during cocktail hour. 

The next 1 hour and 26 minutes of my life was a roller coaster of emotion. The documentary, Bike Beyond, captures the intense 70-day cycling adventure across the USA - 4200 miles - by 20 cyclists all living with Type 1 diabetes who completely destroy stereotypes, raise awareness, and smash expectations.  They begin my rolling their back wheel into the Atlantic in New York City, and finish my dipping their front wheel into the Pacific Ocean under the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The film is narrated by fellow T1D actor, Victor Garber and created by Filmmaker/Director by Neil Greathouse (@thebetes) who has been living with T1D since 1996. It is filled with inspiring interviews, gorgeous drone and time lapse footage of their coast-to-coast bike route, and GoPro confessional style video of the cyclists sharing their thoughts and point of view. The bike team educates the audience about the warning signs of Type 1, different ways of managing it, and their personal stories living with the chronic illness.

Some were tears of joy and great pride, and some were from sadness and complete guilt. The doc left me feeling completely inspired and motivated, yet heartbroken and incredibly ashamed. I felt horrible for never knowing about this disease before my diagnosis. I felt guilty for taking my 'easy' lifestyle for granted when my pancreas still worked. I felt angry about how uneducated the world (including myself) is about this disease. I felt motivated to spread the word of this amazingly produced documentary in order to break the stereotype of diabetes, raise awareness, and prove to everyone that we can do ANYTHING!  
The full length feature is not available to the public until 2018. However, you can watch a extended sneak peek of the film on YouTube! (See below). I truly believe that this film will bring home awards from film festivals, educate the world on Type 1 diabetes, and kickstart a movement!