Can’t Get Him Down

Carson Magee Raises Nearly $5,000 for Diabetes Research with winning funnycar design. By Colin Anderson

Type I Diabetes is draining. Those living with the currently incurable affliction are constantly monitoring blood sugar levels and taking shots of insulin every few hours. Eleven-year-old Carson Magee of Coeur d’Alene has been fighting the battle since he was diagnosed at the age of 7, but you’d never know it.

Carson is on a constant mission to raise awareness about this disease and willing to go to great lengths to help find a cure. He’ll ride his unicycle in fundraisers and get up extra early to share his story with the morning news programs. He’s traveled to Washington DC with other kids battling Type I Diabetes to pitch congress on funding research. He’s met all of Idaho’s congressional delegation and is now on a first name basis with Governor Otter as the two work together on creating a diabetes awareness day in Idaho, and after all, what’s one more thing?

This past March Carson decided to enter the ‘Our Everyday Heroes’ contest benefitting Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The contest was to create a design for a racecar that honors everyday heroes and raises money for research. Carson raised nearly $5,000 during his campaign and a few weeks ago, received a call from Funnycar driver Bob Tasca.

“He called me up and said they narrowed it down to 3 winners, and we were all on a conference call together,” recalls Carson. “After a long silence he started laughing and told me I won. He got me, but I was real happy.”

Carson recently traveled to Denver and was there when his design was revealed to the racing world. He had his picture taken with the whole racing team, got to sit in the racecar, saw it whiz down the track and was even on national TV when an ESPN reporter interviewed him. While Carson reaped the rewards of winning a contest, it’s clear he’s not doing this for himself, but for other kids like him that are dealing with so much at such a young age.

While school is just around the corner, Carson says he’s started to plan another walk to raise money for JDRF and is also working on starting a club for local kids battling diabetes. While he’s seen and done more than most 11-year-olds will experience, he also clearly realizes the great affect he’s having in his community.

“I feel pretty special, I’ve learned in the last 4 years that one voice really can make a difference,” said Carson.

To keep up with Carson you can follow his blog; http://carsonscruisers.blogspot.com/

Good luck keeping up!

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