Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Rob Cooper isn’t one to shy away from a challenge.
A few years after the Illinois native’s diagnosis of type 1 diabetes at 14, the teen who never really thought of himself as an athlete began mixed martial arts training, a rigorous physical workout that merges mind and body while pushing participants to their limits.
“I wanted to know how to defend myself,” said Cooper, who was 17 when he began training at the Gracie Humaita Academy in Springfield, Ill. The studio is a direct descendent of the original facility in Brazil, which started when the Gracie family moved there from Japan, where the sport has its roots.
Despite being told that his disease made jiu jitsu – which can include cage fights that are ultimately a free-for-all of punching, kicking and hitting - too risky, Cooper didn’t want to be defined by his disease, so he immersed himself in the training sessions that included drills, sparring and physical conditioning to build his strength and endurance.
http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2014...ls-hidden-strengths-after-type-1-diagnosis--/
Don't let it stop you doing anything! 🙂
A few years after the Illinois native’s diagnosis of type 1 diabetes at 14, the teen who never really thought of himself as an athlete began mixed martial arts training, a rigorous physical workout that merges mind and body while pushing participants to their limits.
“I wanted to know how to defend myself,” said Cooper, who was 17 when he began training at the Gracie Humaita Academy in Springfield, Ill. The studio is a direct descendent of the original facility in Brazil, which started when the Gracie family moved there from Japan, where the sport has its roots.
Despite being told that his disease made jiu jitsu – which can include cage fights that are ultimately a free-for-all of punching, kicking and hitting - too risky, Cooper didn’t want to be defined by his disease, so he immersed himself in the training sessions that included drills, sparring and physical conditioning to build his strength and endurance.
http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2014...ls-hidden-strengths-after-type-1-diagnosis--/
Don't let it stop you doing anything! 🙂