Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren’t bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he’d better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children’s forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site’s volunteers. "They know what he’s going through, so he doesn’t feel alone."
Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas’s main focus is his charity(慈善机构), Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can’t afford a diabetic’s huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar’s original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now.
白天当他注意到一件事,他总是很累,快速减肥,克里斯托弗 · Thomas,27,晚上和一位老师是一个作家。被诊断为 diabetes(糖尿病),Thomas 需要自己注射 insulin(胰岛素) 一天三次,剩下的他生活或风险神经损伤、 失明,甚至死亡。并且如果这还不够糟,他有没有健康保险。经过一个月的感到心烦意乱,Thomas 决定他会更好地找到方法来反击。他离开了广州,密歇根纽约、 找到一份工作等待表,戏称自己为糖尿病的摇滚明星,和创建 diabeticrockstar.com,免费的在线社区,为糖尿病患者和他们的亲人 — — 1100 多人分享个人故事、 信息和资源的地方。Jason Swencki 儿子,科迪,六岁被确诊为型糖尿病。父亲和儿子一起参观在线儿童 forums(论坛) 大多数的夜晚。"科迪变得很兴奋,写给孩子们来自四面八方,"说 Swencki,该网站的志愿者之一。"他们知道他正在经历的东西,所以他并不感到孤独。科迪是什么但孤独: 糖尿病现在是第七次导致的死亡在美国确诊为 2400 万。更多的人都被诊断的年龄。These days, Thomas’s main focus is his charity(慈善机构), Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can’t afford a diabetic’s huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean. Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar’s original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now.
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