Inspire
WHAT I KNOW NOW
Racing ForwardAmerican race car driver Charlie Kimball
doesn’t let diabetes slow him down.AS TOLD TO AMY PATUREL
Aft er a shocking diagnosis at age 22,
Charlie Kimball went on to become
the fi rst licensed IndyCar driver with
diabetes—and the fi rst PWD to win an
IndyCar race.A TERRIFYING TRIP “When I was rac-
ing in Europe in October 2007, I started
making mistakes. I told my dad I was rac-
ing as fast as I could, but I felt like I was
stuck in the mud. I gulped down 10 to 12
bott les of water each night, and the week-
end before I was diagnosed, I couldn’t
get warm. I saw a doctor for a skin rash,
which was unrelated, but when he asked
me to step on the scale, I realized I had
lost 25 pounds in 5 days. He diagnosed
me with type 1 diabetes on the spot.”BACK ON TRACK “It took me 6
months to get healthy and develop the
knowledge necessary to manage my
diabetes and feel safe gett ing back in a
race car. In April 2008, I returned to the
track for my fi rst race with diabetes and
fi nished second.”GETTING CREATIVE “My dad, an
engineer, fi gured out how to integrate
the CGM with my car’s data system. So,
my electronic dash displays data about
both my car and my body. And since
my CGM’s receiver plugs into my car’s
data system, engineers in the pit lane
can monitor my car and body to make
sure both are running optimally. My
dad also engineered a valve that brings
together two drink bott les—one with
water and one with orange juice. Th e
valve mounts to my seatbelt, so I can
fl ick a switch and get hydration or glu-
cose depending what my body needs.”DREAM BIG “I am a bett er athlete with
diabetes than I was before it because I’ve
learned to work with my body. I’m more
focused on my nutrition and my training.
Each time I race it’s more special than the
time before because I thought I might
never get in a professional race car again.”38 DI A BETIC LI V ING / SPR ING 2019
Kimball partnered with
Novo Nordisk to create
the Race with Insulin
educational program
where he shares his
story and inspires oth-
ers to not let diabetes
stand in the way of their
dreams. Follow him and
his journey on Twitter:
@racewithinsulin.