The Polar Bear Challenge

At the crack of dawn, tens of boys would rush to the Cannan Street Lake, fearlessly plunging their bare bodies into the icy cold water of the lake. I would be one of the first among these boys, up on Mt. Cardigan, smug afterwards that I got to wear the prize, a Polar Bear tie. We were freezing in the freezing New Hampshire winter water but it didn’t matter because we achieved the impossible, together.

Every day for an entire month, we would have to wake up at the break of dawn, even on snowy days and plunge into the freezing lake as part of our training. We practiced together, we ran to the warm boarding house afterwards, laughing and sharing jokes about the freezing water or things that happened during the jump. And when we got the Polar Bear tie, we gained more respect for each other, strengthening our bond.

At dawn, diving into the icy lake for the Polar Bear Challenge. I’m the one on the right.

Little did I know but this Polar Bear Challenge that I participated in up to ninth grade would help prepare me for the unexpected challenge that I faced during the last semester of my sophomore year where I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Being rushed to the emergency room and the ICU, then having a flurry of health care professionals come by my bedside explaining this new world of Type 1 diabetes and giving me a new set of lifestyle restrictions was like being plunged into the cold water of the lake, but this time without preparation. I felt like I was slowly sinking, not knowing how I could reemerge.

Slowly, I was able to maneuver through this unknown territory. Like I practiced plunging into the winter lake water, I practiced every day calculating insulin intake amounts and memorizing how much I needed to take for each meal served at my boarding school. By the end of the month, to the shock of my dietician, calculating my insulin would become second nature to me, and I no longer needed a calculator.

Teachers waiting outside, making sure we made it out safe.

Like the boys who prepared for the Polar Bear Challenge together, teachers and nurses at the medical center would always help me take my blood glucose measurements at night or help me through difficult situations, especially when it got to be too overwhelming for me as my insulin levels dropped. My classmates who played sports with me would learn how to support me when I would have sudden drops of insulin especially during a heavy workout like cross country.

Surprisingly, once you are in the icy lake water, it is warm. Your body is warmed by the lake water, by the other boys surrounding you. And your teacher is there, outside, with the warm towels to gather you when you come out of the lake. I want to be that warm person, helping patients who are first diagnosed with an uncommon disease like type 1 diabetes, to provide the support I received. And to help the patients train as I have, for the difficult but possible to overcome journey that they have embarked on.

At the Senior Banquet, wearing the Polar Bear ties we earned.