Autumn Wright is determined to not let diabetes slow her down.
Wright, 18, of Ravenna, is meeting professional race car driver Charlie Kimball before his race Sunday in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in Lexington.
Wright and Kimball share a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. With this rarer form of the disease, usually diagnosed in children or young adults, the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin.
Kimball, 29, races as a member of the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. Along with sponsoring Kimball, Novo Nordisk makes the insulin he has injected every day to control his diabetes since being diagnosed in 2007.
Or, as he sometimes jokes, “They’re a sponsor close to my heart and my pancreas.”
Kimball often shares his experiences with diabetes during speaking engagements and meet-and-greet events at his races to raise awareness and help others through Novo Nordisk’s Race with Insulin initiative.
“It’s a great way to drive awareness that diabetes doesn’t have to slow you down,” he said.
Wright was asked to participate in this weekend’s big IndyCar Series race and meet with Kimball by the Northeast Ohio chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The teen and her family have been active participants in the organization’s walks and other fundraising events since shortly after she was diagnosed with diabetes at age 8.
“It’s good to get people aware about it,” she said. “If we could spread more awareness, maybe more people would be willing to donate so there would be a cure.”
When the foundation contacted her about a week ago and asked if she would be interested in meeting Kimball as part of a promotional event at the race this weekend, the recent Ravenna High School graduate immediately agreed.
She watches races with her grandfather, Harold Hedrick of Ravenna, who’s an avid racing fan and told her all about Kimball.
“I’m excited about the pit,” she said.
Since being diagnosed with diabetes about a decade ago, Wright has learned to manage her disease without letting it get in the way of her many activities.
Throughout high school, she participated in cheerleading, soccer, softball, student council and National Honor Society.
She uses an insulin pump, which is programmed to deliver the right amount of insulin based on her blood sugar levels and food intake.
Her family learned she needs to make sure she eats after exercise when her blood sugar dropped dangerously low and she had a seizure after a soccer game five years ago.
“The first few years were kind of hard,” she said. “Now I’m just a normal kid. I play sports. I do activities.”
Kimball said he also had to take several months off to figure out how to balance diabetes with racing.
His doctors opted against an insulin pump because of fears about the temperature under his racing fire suit getting too high for the insulin and the risk to the pump in the cockpit.
This fall, Wright will attend the University of Akron, where she’ll study exercise science with plans to become a physical therapist.
She said she wants to talk with Kimball for his tips on how to manage diabetes while living on her own as an adult.
His advice to others with diabetes: “You can still overcome the challenges of diabetes and do what you want in life.”
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or cpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/CherylPowellABJ.