Oxford Township resident George Spencer leads a pretty active life-style.
As chief of the Addison Township Fire Department, the 43-year-old is on-call virtually 24 hours a day to serve his 6,000-plus residents. In his spare time, the husband and father cycles an average of 50 to 75 miles a week.
Just by looking at Spencer and his busy life, you would never guess he has to frequently test his blood sugar and inject himself with insulin about six times a day.
Obviously, being a Type 1 diabetic hasn’t interfered with his life one bit.
Type 1 diabetes is a hereditary condition, usually diagnosed in children and young adults, whereby the body doesn’t naturally produce enough insulin to enable cells to utilize their basic fuel, sugar. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood and into the cells. Type 1 diabetics are dependent on daily injections of insulin to make up for what their body doesn’t produce.
‘You don’t have to let this thing hold you back or slow you down,? Spencer said of his diabetes. ‘You can still do whatever you want to do.?
To help prove his point and raise money for a good cause, for the third consecutive year, Spencer will ride in the annual Tour de Cure cycling event Sunday, June 12 at the Island Lake Recreational Area in Brighton.
Tour de Cure is a one-day, noncompetitive fund-raising event for the American Diabetes Association featuring seven scenic routes ranging from seven to 70 miles.
Spencer will lead a cycling team consisting of his wife Sharon and fellow Addison firefighter Gabriel Mylin on a 50-mile ride during the event.
Tour de Cure is a ‘great showcase for people, especially kids,? who have either just been diagnosed with diabetes or are still learning how to live with it, he said.
‘Being an insulin-dependent diabetic or a diabetic at all is just part of the challenge that God gives us,? Spencer said. ‘We survive, overcome and get done what we need to get done.?
Spencer has lived with Type 1 diabetes since he was diagnosed at age 12. He’s taken daily insulin injections ever since.
‘My physician at the time basically told me the same thing I’m saying to kids right now ? This is not the end of your life. You can do this. It’s not going to slow you down. You can still do whatever you need, whatever you want to do,? he said, noting the doctor was himself an insulin-dependent diabetic.
The chief likened managing insulin-dependent diabetes to ‘walking a tightrope.? From eating properly and carefully exercising to monitoring blood sugar and taking insulin injections, consistency is the key to staying on that rope, he explained.
But just in case he ‘falls off? the tightrope, Spencer said he’s ‘pretty open? about his condition in both his professional and social lives.
‘In my opinion, the people around me need to know,? he said. ‘It’s like if someone with asthma starts to have trouble breathing, their friends need to know how to assist them, whether it’s finding their inhaler or taking that person to the hospital.?
The people around Spencer know that if he shows signs his blood sugar is getting too low ? which is called hypoglycemia and can lead to death if not treated right away ? it’s time to make sure he immediately eats something like one of the energy bars or gels he always carries with him.
‘I’ve been lucky to be surrounded with really good people and they take really good care of me,? he said. Spencer stressed that ‘consistent? and ‘careful? exercise helps a diabetic maintain his or her blood sugar at a ‘consistent level,? but be careful not to ‘overdo? it, which can lead to a hypoglycemic incident.
The chief took up cycling in August 2001 as a way to stay in shape and help manage his diabetes.
In the winter, he cycles an average of 50 miles a week on a indoor stationary bike. With the warm weather’s arrival, Spencer has switched to outdoor cycling and is now doing five, 15-mile rides a week.
He began riding the 50-mile course in the Tour de Cure as a ‘warm-up? for the other major cycling event he does in July ? the Wish-A-Mile 300 Bicycle Tour (WAM 300), a fund-raising event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan.
The WAM 300 is a three-day, 300-mile ride that takes cyclists from Cheboygan to Milford. Spencer has ridden in the event for the past two years and plans to do so again this year.
To prepare for the WHAM 300, Spencer increases his cycling to 120 miles a week during the month before the event.
Although both cycling events are for good causes, the Tour de Cure is a more personal event for Spencer as both a diabetic and the father of a diabetic.
His 18-year-old son, Ryan Spencer, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago.
Even though it’s a hereditary condition, Spencer said he was ‘shocked? when his son was diagnosed.
‘Typically, insulin-dependent diabetes skips a generation,? he said. ‘To have it hit two generations of my family in a row, I was pretty surprised about that.?
Spencer said he hopes his riding in Tour de Cure, and living an active life-style in general, will show his son that having diabetes doesn’t mean he can’t live a normal life, doing everything he wants to do and much more.
‘Attitude is one of the most important parts of dealing with diabetes,? he said. ‘If you have a positive attitude and know you can do it, you can.?
To register or for more information about the American Diabetes Association’s 9th Annual Tour de Cure visit www.diabetes.org/tour or call (888) DIABETES.

Spencer stressed that ‘consistent? and ‘careful? exercise helps a diabetic maintain his or her blood sugar at a ‘consistent level,? but be careful not to ‘overdo? it, which can lead to a hypoglycemic incident.
The chief took up cycling in August 2001 as a way to stay in shape and help manage his diabetes.
In the winter, he cycles an average of 50 miles a week on a indoor stationary bike. With the warm weather’s arrival, Spencer has switched to outdoor cycling and is now doing five, 15-mile rides a week.
He began riding the 50-mile course in the Tour de Cure as a ‘warm-up? for the other major cycling event he does in July ? the Wish-A-Mile 300 Bicycle Tour (WAM 300), a fund-raising event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan.
The WAM 300 is a three-day, 300-mile ride that takes cyclists from Cheboygan to Milford. Spencer has ridden in the event for the past two years and plans to do so again this year.
To prepare for the WHAM 300, Spencer increases his cycling to 120 miles a week during the month before the event.
Although both cycling events are for good causes, the Tour de Cure is a more personal event for Spencer as both a diabetic and the father of a diabetic.
His 18-year-old son, Ryan Spencer, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago.
Even though it’s a hereditary condition, Spencer said he was ‘shocked? when his son was diagnosed.
‘Typically, insulin-dependent diabetes skips a generation,? he said. ‘To have it hit two generations of my family in a row, I was pretty surprised about that.?
Spencer said hopes his riding in Tour de Cure, and living an active life-style in general, will show his son that having diabetes doesn’t mean he can’t live a normal life, doing everything he wants to do and much more.
‘Attitude is one of the most important parts of dealing with diabetes,? he said. ‘If you have a positive attitude and know you can do it, you can.?
To register or for more information about the American Diabetes Association’s 9th Annual Tour de Cure visit www.diabetes.org/tour or call (888) DIABETES.