Reed was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years ago and was told that a racing career would not be in his future. He has formed a partnership with the American Diabetes Association to create the project that will sponsor him for five Nationwide races this season.
"It's not just a selfish motivation to go out there," Reed says. "This is something that can help the whole diabetes community, raise awareness, show everyone in the diabetes community you can go out there and do what you want."
Reed was "diagnosed on the spot" after his father demanded he see a physician after he lost 25 pounds in three weeks and displayed typical signs of diabetes: extreme thirst and frequent urination.
His physician told him racing would be too dangerous because of the process of monitoring and regulating blood sugar. He didn't like what he heard.
"I think it was my stubbornness at 17 that kind of helped me prevail there," Reed recalls. "I guess it comes in handy sometimes. It was absolutely devastating. It was one of those things where it was the most trying time of my life. My dream was hanging in the balance."
He went on the Internet to find answers he liked better. What Reed found was Charlie Kimball, a fellow Californian, who was breaking into IndyCar racing with Ganassi Racing. He also found Dr. Anne Peters, an endocrinologist and director of the USC Westside Center for Diabetes who helps maintain performance and health in diabetic athletes. Reed became one of her patients and she has been "a backbone for me."
"I saw she treated Charlie, and I figured that was probably my safest bet maybe getting inside the race car. I know it's a different world (between) IndyCar and NASCAR and there's different challenges, but it was definitely interesting to see how we could use Charlie's notes and how they've done different things with Charlie to try and help me and see how it translated into NASCAR. Honestly, most of it did," Reed said.
Kimball and Reed have never met, but Reed sees him as a mentor and friend. "It was definitely nice to have that to fall back on and the barrier he'd already broken," Reed said.
Reed has formed a nonprofit organization called Ryan's Mission, to promote diabetes awareness and is part of the program Drive For Diabetes, which sponsors his car. American Diabetes Association CEO Larry Hausner said of Reed in a press release, "Ryan Reed is an inspiring individual , and his voice is critical to spreading awareness and educating communities across the country about this disease."
Reed's blood sugar is constantly monitored through a hair wire that is inserted into his stomach that feeds information to a wireless transmitter back with his team. They assess his condition just like they would his lap times. Several members of his team have been trained on injecting insulin. Officially Roush Fenway chose engine tuner Craig Hermann as the stabber, but they haven't had to do it.
"It's funny because all the guys are jumping up and down for the opportunity. They're all 'Pick me! Pick me!'... I'm kidding. I trust them. It's one of those things where I am going to be so jacked up on adrenaline I probably won't even feel it. But like I said, that's the joke around the shop, who gets to stab Ryan.
"But the main thing is we go to extraordinary lengths for safety. The last thing we want to do is go out there and have a problem and have it be a setback for the diabetes community," Reed says.
Reed had a top-5 and six top-10s in 14 ARCA races for Venturini Motorsports last season and finished 17th in a Truck series start for Wauters Motorsports. He also won the Super Late Model season opener at Irwindale Speedway this season.
Reference: ESPN.
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