Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Dozens of people joined Sweet Home’s Dr. Tim Hindmarsh for his annual decathlon for diabetes education, Act Alive, on July 13 after he parachuted onto a field at Pioneer Elementary School in Lebanon with another doctor on July 13.
Hindmarsh greeted and thanked participants and sponsors before finishing his own challenge, completing 10 events within a 24-hour period. His final task was a 5-mile run across town.
Two years ago, Hindmarsh celebrated his 40th birthday by completing the decathlon and using it to raise money for diabetes education and to raise awareness about the condition. He’s done it every year since.
In less than 24 hours, he participated in windsurfing, slalom waterskiing, barefoot waterskiing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, downhill skiing, motocross riding, cycling, skydiving and running. He dubbed the event “Act Alive.”
“It’s about doing stuff,” Hindmarsh said. “It’s about doing better.”
He included a few friends last year, but this year, Hindmarsh issued an all-out invite and was joined by others as he rode a bicycle Friday afternoon from Sweet Home Family Medicine to Lebanon Airport for skydiving. He was rejoined at Pioneer School for the run, with participants doing everything from walking a half mile to running the full five with him.
Money raised through Act Alive is used to provide diabetes education to people who fall through the cracks and cannot afford it, Hindmarsh said.
“That’s a disease that I can’t manage,” he said. “It has to be managed by those who have the disease. We really want to be able to do that, educating our town, community and county.”
Through education, the condition can be managed, and people can live longer lives, he said.
HIV has been turned into a chronic disease “instead of a death sentence,” he noted. About 1 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with the disease over the years. By comparison, some 21 million Americans have diabetes, he said.
Most cases are Type 2, and the root cause is lack of exercise, he said. Getting out and being active can help prevent it or manage diabetes.
“Can you imagine, if people did regular exercise and watched their eating, and could cure AIDS or cancer? That would be mind-blowing to me,” he said.
“I want to encourage people to own their life or health before disease owns them.”
The last two Act Alive events raised some $10,000.