Stepping Forward
PAULA HARPER HAS HELPED HERSELF AND OTHERS WITH DIABETES ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
By the end of 2007, Paula Harper had completed 35 marathons—which also happened to be the number of years since she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It’s a meaningful coincidence, considering the long distance Harper has covered not only as a dedicated runner but also as a person with diabetes. Along the way, she has inspired others, by example and through the international organization she founded to promote exercise and physical fitness among diabetes patients.
Running Enthusiast Paula Harper
“I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1972, when I was 29, and shortly after the birth of my third child,” says Harper, 64, a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator with the Veterans Administration Tennessee Valley Health Care System in Nashville, Tenn. Harper had no family history of diabetes; however, her baby daughter also developed the disease at age 3.
Not until four years after Harper’s diagnosis did she start running. Living then in Phoenix, she was taking a class called Sports for Women. “For a warmup, we had to run a mile, and I wasn’t in good shape,” Harper says. “So I started running along a canal bank near our home. I really liked it, and found that it helped my self-esteem.”
More important, as she increased her mileage and began training for races, Harper found that running helped her diabetes management. At the time, many physicians warned patients with diabetes to avoid running and other strenuous activities. But Harper, based on her own positive experiences and with the advice of a local doctor and fellow runner, figured that if she exercised more, she would be able to reduce her dependence on insulin.
At the top of Harper’s recommended list of can’t-miss exercise routines is walking — outdoors, indoors on a treadmill or a shopping mall.
Harper’s intuition has proven to be absolutely correct. What’s more, advances in portable self-monitoring devices now allow recreational and professional athletes of all ages to enjoy a wide range of competitive sports and simple exercise routines. Besides marathons, Harper also competes in other endurance events, such as triathlons, ultra marathons, and 100-mile bicycle races.
After Harper’s fifth marathon in 1980, she had the words “I run on insulin” printed on the back of a T-shirt. She soon discovered that she was not alone. She gradually developed a network of people with diabetes who were involved in regular exercise and wanted to share experiences, pass on information and offer each other support.
Paula Harper hikes with her daughter Shelly
In 1985, she and her husband, Lew, a naval officer who served in Vietnam and himself an avid runner and cyclist, founded the International Diabetic Athletes Association. Lacking corporate sponsors or a big marketing budget, the organization grew by word of mouth, spreading from its roots in Phoenix to chapters across the U.S., Europe and Australia. Most of its members, however, were serious athletes. To make itself more inclusive and promote exercise among all people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, in 2000 the name was changed to the Diabetes Exercise & Sports Association (DESA).
“We have nearly 2,500 members in the U.S. and another 2,500 internationally,” says Harper. “We’ve become a clearinghouse for news, information and research reports.” DESA also sponsors conferences.
“About 30 percent of our members are seniors, often newly diagnosed and with other health concerns,” Harper adds. Many have not been physically active for years and suffer from obesity. Citing both her personal experience and mounds of research, she encourages senior members to “simply get some form of exercise. The fact is that in many cases regular exercise is going to lower their blood sugar. That’s usually a great motivator.”
At the top of Harper’s recommended list of can’t-miss exercise routines is walking — outdoors, indoors on a treadmill or inside a shopping mall. “Meet other people and walk together,” she says. Other suggested low-stress activities include swimming and cycling.
Harper will step down as president of DESA this summer, and the diabetes study she’s been involved with at the VA hospital where she works is nearing completion. While DESA will remain “a big part of my heart,” she plans to hike the national parks and spend more time with her family. And, of course, keep running.
Wherever she is, though, Harper offers words of encouragement, learned so well over the past 35 years and thousands of miles, to those who might not think they’re up to the rigors of exercise. “There’s an athlete in everyone,” she says. “Some just aren’t in training yet.” HM