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12-Year-Old Doesn't Let Type 1 Diabetes Slow Him Down

Ryan Maloney competes in triathalons for people with diabetes.

It’s a race most adults couldn’t handle: a 300 meter swim, followed by an 8-10 mile bike ride, topped off with a 2-mile run. Tired yet? Twelve-year-old Carlsbad resident Ryan Maloney has crossed the finish line of what is known as a Triabetes triathalon and admits it’s not a race for the faint of heart.

“The swim is my hardest thing,” said Ryan. “Then on the bike it gets even harder and the run at the end is the hardest. It’s tough!”

What makes finishing a race like that even more impressive is the fact that Ryan has Type 1 Diabetes, an autoimmune disease that prevents his pancreas from producing insulin. Type 1 Diabetes is often confused with Type 2 Diabetes, which in many instances can be fought off through better diet and exercise. Type 1 cannot be prevented.

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“Since his diagnosis, Ryan has had to monitor his blood glucose continuously,” said Bill Maloney, Ryan’s father. “He injects insulin multiple times a day through a pump to control his disease.”

Ryan participates in the Triabetes program, one of three clubs run by the nonprofit organization Insulindependence. He competed in the IronKids San Diego race in May.

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“What a Type 1 diagnosis does for so many people is give them a reason not to do something,” said Maloney. “Insulindependence turns it into a reason to do something. You become a member of a club.”

Ryan has also become an ambassador for his disease. Through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), he became a mentor to newly diagnosed children in Carlsbad. Ryan and his mother visited those children at home and delivered a “Bag of Hope” full of literature about Type 1 diabetes as well as a few goodies.

You can see video of Ryan competing in the in January by watching the attached YouTube video. The video is in Spanish and features his mentor, Christian Chiappe. Ryan's portion (at the 3-minute mark) is in English.

Way to go Ryan! You are an inspiration and Carlsbad Patch is proud of you!

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