When I was asked to write something to promote Saturday’s “Stomping out Type 2 Diabetes” bicycle ride and health fair at Tom Brown Park, I immediately said yes. Stopping diabetes is a national emergency. But “Stomping out Type 2 Diabetes” can also be great fun! Everyone has heard the statistics. Currently 30% of our kids overweight and obese and at very high risk for diabetes. Our kids are the lst generation that are not expected to live as long as their parents. And the parents aren’t doing much better since 60% of them are overweight or obese and also very high risk for diabetes.

Diabetes damages the kidneys and is the number one cause of blindness and leg amputations. One local hero to many, died a slow painful death from diabetes. It killed his kidneys and he had dialysis several times a week. His leg was amputated. His heart was diseased. He died way too young - in his 50’s. His grandkids will never get to know this great man.

Unless we “Stomp out Type 2 Diabetes”, our healthcare system, no matter how it is reformed will bankrupt America. Our military is even affected. Now our military has trouble finding enough “healthy” normal weight recruits. In World War II, bad teeth were the number one cause of rejection for the draft - not obesity or diabetes.

How did those “old” folks stay healthy? My grandparents all lived well into their 80’s - without heart surgeries or insulin. They grew up walking, tending gardens, and generally “exercising” every day. My few patients who have lost weight all say they also exercised – every day. Us baby boomers walked to school – and loved it. My friends and I actually had a 100 yard dash every day racing to the school boundary. But when my daughter started elementary school, I saw a list of how each kid was getting to school. In her class, 21 of 23 were driven or bused to school. Parents are afraid to let their kids out of the house – or car.

I was told America has become “America the Paranoid”. But police say the more people get to know their neighbors, the safer we are. If enough kids start playing, walking or bicycling outside together our neighborhoods become safer and we can “Stomp out Type 2 Diabetes”. I don’t know if things were really safer “back then”, but parents didn’t keep their kids inside.

From the 7-9th grades, I, like many kids delivered papers every morning – by ourselves, in the dark. Once there was a double murder on my paper route. Once I was picked up by car thieves – at 5:00AM! Once a tornado struck several blocks away from my “route”. I was chased by dogs and I dodged cars. After “work” I walked to school. In the summer we bicycled to our fishing hole –where “hoods” occasionally chased us! We bicycled to baseball games. We camped at the creek. We got lots of exercise! Kids had fun – and didn’t get Type 2 diabetes in those days. Homes were smaller and closer with lots of kids to play with - every day after school. Street football, baseball, ditchem, dodge ball, and kick the can. Our parents had to yell at us to come inside for dinner. My parents tried a small dinner bell, then a larger one, and finally a BIG bell to get us to come inside at night. Our parents, like Mary Ann Lindley’s didn’t have junk food lying around. My mom kept a 2 ˝ gallon “cooler” of milk in the refrigerator. No soft drinks. To this day I love Thanksgiving. That was the day my mom would make pumpkin pie and real “whipped cream” as a treat. Now we have real whipped cream every day.

My parents tell how their Christmas gift was – an orange. And they loved it. They didn’t know about “junk food”. The fruit was the treat. My granddad used to get the biggest smile on his face every time he ate a fresh juicy tomato out of his garden. Eating healthy is fun! Losing weight can be fun! I watched a young overweight boy begin walking every day with his dad. During that year I watched him slim down and he looked great. But even better was the way they “bonded” to each other. They will always have those memories.

I have talked to numerous people who lost 30-60 pounds. One began walking. But like many of us over 40 years he started bicycling. He lost 60 pounds. A couple weeks ago a group of us “older” kids met at city hall and just bicycled. We felt like kids again just exploring our city. We discovered beautiful “Fern Trail” right in the middle of Tallahassee. It led all the way to Tom Brown Park. We bicycled Magnolia Trail, K-9 Trail, Cadillac Trail overlooking beautiful Lake Lafayette. We crossed the dike over to Alford Arms Park to Miccosukee Greenway. Some continued to Maclay Park, Phipps Park, the powerline trail, and back to City Hall! (see “Tal-Rides” if you want to join us).

Tallahassee’s has a 63 award winning park system. I moved to Tallahassee because of its beauty and bicycling potential. We have Florida’s very lst Rail to Trail, the St Marks starting right in town. Some call us “Trailahassee”. There is no better place than our city to start getting you and your kids healthy and “Stomp out Type 2 Diabetes”. And there is no better time to start than this Saturday at Tom Brown Park! Beginning cyclists and runners are very welcome! There will be bicycle races, a 5K run at 8AM, prizes, health screenings, pro cyclists, celebrity college and NFL coaches, musicians, dancers, fun stations, and many booths helping you “Stomping out Type 2 Diabetes”.

For more information see the race flyer or The Foundation for Leon County Schools.