NASCAR Driver Ryan Reed Joins Beyond Type 1 Global Ambassador Council
April 9, 2018 – NASCAR driver Ryan Reed, is the newest member of the Global Ambassador Council of Beyond Type 1, a global nonprofit organization focusing on education, advocacy and curing type 1 diabetes. Already an active and admired member of the type 1 community, Ryan uses his platform to raise awareness for diabetes, inspiring those living with it.
Beyond Type 1’s Global Ambassador Council are a group of individuals from all over the world who are living beyond their type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Through advocacy outreach, the council helps spread awareness about what it means to live with the chronic illness.
As a new Global Ambassador Council member, Ryan joins several other celebrities living with type 1 diabetes including Nick Jonas, Victor Garber, Jennifer Stone and Crystal Bowersox who have shared their stories on Beyond Type 1’s #LiveBeyond Campaign. “I embrace being different from the norm in so many different aspects of my life. Diabetes is just one of those things that sets me apart a little bit,” says Ryan.
Ryan was diagnosed with type 1 at 17 years old, at the time he moved from his hometown of Bakersfield, California to Charlotte, North Carolina to start the 2011 race season. Initially told he would have to give up racing, meeting with endocrinologist Dr. Anne Peters turned things around and Ryan returned to North Carolina with his diabetes team joining his race team.
In 2015, Ryan became the first documented type 1 to win a NASCAR top series race at Daytona, and had another win there followed in 2017. “I was just so emotional in Victory Lane. The first thing I talked about when getting diagnosed and being told I’d never race again and just all the struggles to get to that point. I really wanted to take that opportunity to use that moment to just say do not give up on your dreams and don’t let diabetes stop you.”
As a member of the GAC, Ryan joins other active and tech savvy type 1s who serve as role models, mentors, educators and influencers in the type 1 space. “I am extremely excited to work with Beyond Type 1 further in 2018,” said Ryan. “Their innovative approach to bringing awareness and fundraising to fight for a cure of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is second to none!”
Beyond Type 1 was founded in 2015 by Juliet de Baubigny, Nick Jonas, Sarah Lucas and Sam Talbot, and is a new brand of philanthropy leveraging the power of social media and technology, changing what it means to live with a chronic disease. With a focus on education, advocacy and the path to a cure, Beyond Type 1 has developed a broad-ranging portfolio of grantees and programs aimed at improving the lives of people impacted by type 1 diabetes. For more information about Beyond Type 1, please visit BeyondType1.org and follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @BeyondType1.
