Sean Busby - Riding on Insulin
Type 1 Diabetes Success Story
Sean Busby is a professional snowboarder living with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). He travels to remote corners of the world on snowboarding expeditions. While training for the 2010 Olympics, Sean endured a complicated diagnosis of T1D. He has since founded Riding On Insulin, a nonprofit organization that hosts action sports programs for children, teenagers and adults living with T1D. Sean’s mission is to inspire children and teens to pursue their passions despite diabetes.
“Aside from insulin, being around others who have Type 1 diabetes is the greatest management tool I’ve found,” Busby said. “My advice is to find a diabetes camp and spend time with others who are living with the same struggles and successes. Through shared experience, we find the strength to thrive despite diabetes.”
Locally, Sean hosts an all-day camp at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Princeton, MA every February for young people with T1D and their siblings. One of the endocrinologists on our care team has attended a Riding On Insulin event and said, “It’s a great experience and the kids really enjoyed it.”
In 2014, Sean became the first person with T1D to snowboard the back-country of all seven continents.
His story & photos are displayed on the UMass Diabetes Center of Excellence Wall of Honor in the second floor hallway of the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC Building) leading to the UMass Memorial Diabetes Center of Excellence clinic. Our collection of inspirational diabetes success stories is adjacent to the patient waiting area. Other honorees include Nick Jonas, professional athletes, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Mary Tyler Moore.