Golfers rally for youth with Type 1 Diabetes at benefit tournament

Pictured: The foursome of (l-r) Adam James, Charlie Marshall, Jeremy Meyer and Jeff Horner won the  Eastern Shore Type 1 Diabetes Support Foundation golf tournament at the Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club recently.

By Bill Sterling

Chad Muma, a linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is proof that a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes does not prevent you from leading an active life and accomplishing your goals.

The first raffle prize selected from a table full of some very nice donated items at a benefit golf tournament Friday at the Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club was a football signed by Muma.

In all, 52 golfers turned out to raise funds for the Eastern Shore Type 1 Diabetes Support Foundation, based in Ocean City Md. and supporting youth with type 1 diabetes from the Bay Bridge in Annapolis to the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel in Kiptopeke.

Matt and Shannon Boggs of Onancock, parents of three, whose 10-year-old daughter Raelyn was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2022, staged the tournament with the help of the foundation. Shannon said hearing the news about their daughter “flipped our world.”

Corey and Katie Rimel, foundation board members who were on hand at the tournament helping in various ways, know the feeling of hearing that diagnosis. Their son, Eric, now 25, lives with type 1 diabetes.

“We’ve been in and out of way too many hospitals, said Katie.

“It’s a tough diagnosis for the parents and the child, but it’s manageable, and you can live an active life by paying attention to your body,” said Corey.

Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition. in which the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy. Although type 1 diabetes can produce complications and affect major organs in the body, Mary Tyler Moore, one of the better known personalities with type 1 diabetes, lived an active life until she was 80.

The Eastern Shore Type 1 Diabetes Support Foundation holds fundraisers like the golf tournament to send youth with type 1 diabetes to Camp Possibilities in Darlington, Md. Camp Possibilities educates their campers through dedicated support sessions that are informative, encouraging and fun. Raelyn Boggs attended last year and will be returning to camp the last week of July.

Katie Rimel said over the years the foundation has raised $175,000 to fully fund the $875 fee for Eastern Shore youth to attend Camp Possibilities. The foundation also awards scholarships to graduating seniors with type 1 diabetes.

Winning the tournament was the foursome of Adam James, Jeff Horner, Jamie Nalls and Charlie Marshall with a 56. In second place with a 56 by virtue of a tiebreaker, was the team of Tyler Ames, Brian McCullough, Ruddy Rose and Ryan Horner. Finishing third with a 59 was Thomas Heath, Lee Robbins, Will Carstens and Nick Lewis.

Ruddy Rose had the longest drive, and Charlie Marshall was closest to the pin with a shot five feet from the hole.