Foley and friends walk to fight against diabetes

St. Mary?s High girls soccer coach Jim Foley has always known he was at risk for developing diabetes. He has a strong family history on his late father?s side and because of this, he has been diligent about being monitored at his annual physicals.?It runs in our family. I?ve always kind of kept an eye on it. At all my physicals. They always checked my blood sugar,” he said.This past summer, the Pickering Middle School physical education teacher started experiencing some symptoms, like weight loss and waking up at night thirsty. A trip to the doctor confirmed his concerns. He had Type 1 diabetes.?I figured something like this was eventually going to happen, but it came up faster than I thought. At first, it caught me off guard a little bit. It happened right at the end of the school year. It made me wake up a little bit,” Foley said.Foley spent the summer making adjustments to his diet, getting accustomed to taking his blood sugar three times a day and in general, making the lifestyle changes necessary to stay as healthy as possible. Now he?s looking ahead to Saturday, Oct. 18 when he and his team, the Spartan Striders, participate in the annual Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes on Boston Common. The team is comprised of many of his St. Mary?s soccer players, family members and friends from St. Mary?s and Pickering. The money raised through the walk is for treatment, prevention and assistance to people who have diabetes, whether it?s Type 1, Type II or gestational.Although genetic, environmental and lifestyle issues all factor into a person?s chances of being diagnosed with diabetes, Foley, as a physical education teacher and a coach, said some habits in the youngsters he sees concern him.?Unfortunately, what I see in the schools, a lot of kids? diets aren?t as good as they should be,” Foley said, citing the high sugar drinks they like as well as the candy and soda.?If you?re overweight, eat a lot of fast food, processed food or have sugary drinks, you?re going to be predisposed to getting it later in life,” he said, adding that he hopes to encourage the kids he teaches and coaches to nip some of the bad habits in the bud.Foley?s team will be holding a fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Tony?s Pub on Franklin Street in Lynn. Those who would like to help sponsor the team can also do so by visiting the Step Out website at www.diabetes.org/stepoutboston and following the team links to the Spartan Striders.?My dad died when he was 56. I?m 46. My goal is to take care of myself and live a long life, which you can with diabetes (with lifestyle changes),” he said.