Park hiker to raise funds, awareness for diabetes

When most folks go for a hike in Glacier National Park, they take along water, a lunch and extra clothes in case the weather takes a turn.

T.J. Fallon does all that, but he also takes an insulin kit and a blood sugar monitor. Fallon has Type I juvenile onset diabetes — virtually every time he eats, he has to take an insulin injection, he said last week. His body doesn’t produce the hormone needed to process sugars in his body. The lifestyle isn’t always fun. If he gets his blood sugar too high, he gets very sick.

“It feels like a bad flu,” he said. “It’s pretty miserable.”

Fallon also has to make sure he doesn’t take too much insulin, which would make his blood sugar too low, which can also be life threatening. The 33-year-old measures his blood sugar about once every three hours.

But Fallon still enjoys his hikes, and this year he plans to hike in Glacier Park as a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which is seeking a cure for the disease. Fallon has lived with the ailment since he was 15. The popular misconception is that diabetes sufferers out of shape and obese, but anyone can get it, he notes.

There are 25.8 million people with diabetes in the U.S., but only five percent have Type 1, according to the American Diabetes Association. The more common diabetes is Type 2, where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin. That can usually be controlled with diet and medications.

Fallon said he plans to hike 250 miles this spring and summer to raise money for the Foundation. People can pledge on a per mile basis through his Web site www.hikingfordiabetes.com.

“People can track my progress and see how I’m doing,” he said.

An avid hiker, Fallon wanted to put a twist on a fundraising walk by heading into the Park. Most of the hikes will be day hikes, but he has plans for a five-day loop in the Belly River. He’ll need to pack plenty of insulin for that trip. He keeps the medication cool by wrapping the small syringes in a wet cloth.

Fallon currently sells commercial insurance but has a degree in biology. He worked in Yellowstone National Park with wolves and grizzly bears before moving to Montana full time about three years ago.