We Made It!                                                                           July 2009

After 7 months of planning and preparation, it seems almost impossible to imagine that our Great Peruvian Adventure is over, and that every member of TeamONE completed
the Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu in 2&1/2 days!!! It was an unforgettable expedition in oh-so-many ways, but perhaps the greatest learning came from dealing with the unexpected...

The shocking news came the night before the trek was to begin that there was civil unrest in the region and striking was to begin upon our scheduled day of return, which meant that we either had to abandon the trek altogether, or complete the whole thing at an accelerated pace. Further, the group leader hadn't been informed that our particular team was dealing with a medical condition.

For me, the fear and horror were instantaneous. I was the oldest member of the team with diabetes by 9 years - how on earth would I keep up with a bunch of 20-somethings? Four days was already going to be hard enough! What if I physically couldn't make it? What if I got injured along the way? What would happen to my diabetes at altitude? We had come that far to take on an incredible challenge and prove that people with diabetes can do anything, so there was no way we were turning back now. Ready or not, we were on our way!

Day 1 involved getting eaten alive by bugs, a llama stampede, and trekking UPHILL for 9&1/2 hours. A few of us had meltdowns that day. Mine happened at about hour 7 as I just couldn't get enough air into my lungs, my legs just couldn't take another step, and when the back-of-the-pack guide told us it was at least another 2 hours to go - I couldn't stop the tears from pouring out of my eyes. We had been going for 7 hours already, and we're nowhere near the camp yet...seriously???!!! But when you can't turn back and there's no rescue helicopter coming, the only choice you have is to wipe the tears away and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. The profanities were flying, but between the group of us, we pulled ourselves together and by some miracle, made it to camp.

For me, Day 2 began with nausea and altitude sickness, and a keen desire to go home. The 4am wake-up was bad, but the rest of the day just got increasingly brutal - hiking UP and DOWN 2 steep mountain passes for 8&1/2 hours BEFORE LUNCH - followed by another few hours after that to reach camp. I still don't know how we made it, but once day 2 was done, I think we all felt pretty hopeful as apparently the worst was over and it would only be another 4-5 hours the next day to reach the Machu Picchu site.

While the idea of going downhill seemed appealing from a "being able to get air into lungs" point of view, Day 3 was stone steps the whole way - my biggest nightmare. When you think the worst is over, think again! We had come so far, and the destination was near - yet every single step felt like my knees would explode, and I was certain that surgery would be required in order to walk again. Ever-so-slowly, one step at a time, me and my pal Rachel made it - and there was never a more welcome sight than to see the rest of our gang holding up the Canadian flag and cheering us on to the finish. It was surreal, and unforgettable.

Mentally and physically, it was the most exhausting and challenging thing I have ever done, and certainly character-building in a thousand different ways.

What were the key learnings from it all?

1) When things happen that you cannot change, you can waste a lot of energy whining about it, but eventually you just have to "suck it up" and move forward.

2) When you think you've got no gas left in your personal energy tank, there is always a little "superhuman reserve" built in - you just have to break through the pain barrier and realize that you are much stronger than you know yourself to be.

As a group dealing with diabetes, we had our share of blood sugar fluctuation dramas each day, but what's amazing is the personal resiliency each of us found - to just deal with the high or the low, and then keep moving. Our guides didn't have a clue of what it was like for us to be dealing with diabetes above & beyond the physical exhaustion everybody felt, but what made this trip truly special was that you could look to another person with diabetes and find inspiration in them. There were no victims here. We each took responsibility for ourselves, but had the great comfort and humour of being with others who share the same challenges every day.

We completed something as a team that few people ever do, and have every reason to be proud of such an extraordinary accomplishment. Thank you to all who supported this group with our fundraising efforts and with your love and encouragement...we did it!!!