Dodging Diabetes, One Bruise at a Time

A charity dodgeball competition gets personal

By KEVIN CARRILLO

Updated 3:46 PM EDT, Fri, Mar 19, 2010

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You remember dodgeball -- third grade, red ball? Relive the glory days or replace bad memories by registering a team in the fifth annual Dodging Diabetes Charity Dodgeball tournament on Saturday, March 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Champions Fieldhouse in Rockville, Md. Not only will teams compete in a double elimination tournament for the first-place gold trophies (just like the ones you got for soccer back in the day), but the best part is 100 percent of the money raised at this event goes to support the Joslin Diabetes Center for diabetes research, education and treatment.

Anna Tiedeman Irwin, Elizabeth Kramer and a team of volunteers from the D.C. area founded the Dodging Diabetes charity in 2005 to raise money and awareness to defeat diabetes for good. Both Tiedeman Irwin and Kramer have brothers with Type 1 diabetes.

"Diabetes is a tough disease to live with," Tiedeman Irwin said. "We know this firsthand because we watched our bothers prick their fingers to test their blood sugar, take insulin every time they eat, and live with the consequences of high or low blood sugars if they miscalculate their insulin levels."

Now you can fight back against diabetes -- and you just might take one for the team when you get slammed with a ball you can't quite dodge. Teams are comprised of six to 10 players. All must be over 18, at least one player on each team must be female. Visit their official Web site for more info.