Sometimes, rockstars wear plaid shirts with a comfortable sweater. Richard Vaughn doesnt need to strut around in tight leather pants likeTom Cruises Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages. Hes badder than that. Much badder.
The Rockstar.
At least to me. When I hear about Type 1 diabetics who have lived well for a long time, my giddyness gets kicked up a notch. More and more of us are passing those age/diabetes milestones we (in the dark of night with the lights off, buried deep under the covers) thought wed never reach. Ive met a few T1s with the famed 50 year Joslin Medal, but last week I got to meet my rockstarat the Children With Diabetes Friends for Life.
Richard Vaughn was diagnosed at six. Hes seventy-three now. Even with my mediocre math skills, I can confidently say that hes been Type 1 twice as long as I have and then some. This year, he made the choice to come to this conference and I can only hope he understood the impact he made on many of us. (Hes a blogger and an author.Read his stuff over at Richards Rambling Review)
Have you met Richard? Have you seen him? Where is he? Which session is he in? These were questions peppered throughout the conference. I snuck in late to a session about social media led by Kerri, Scott, and Jessica Apple ofA Sweet Life, and heard him asking a question. Will someone point out where hes sitting? I hissed. When the lively discussion ended, I wended my way up to the front, only to find that he had slipped out the side door.
Like a swooning obsessed fan, I ran. Out of the room, down the hallway, until I saw him steadily making his way towards the main meeting area.
Mr. Vaughn!!! Mr. Vaughn!!!! My laptop bag was bruising my thigh, but I refused to stop and hoist it higher. I didnt want to miss this opportunity.
He stopped, turned, and smiled warmly. I was slightly out of breath (working on that exercise thing, remember?), but the words tumbled out: Mr. Vaughn, I just wanted to meet you and tell you what an inspiration you are. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. Im so glad youre here.
And then I couldnt say anything else.
I realized that I was in the presence of someone who has been through so much on the diabetes timeline. Despite very little diabetes management help in the beginning of his life, hes healthy. I want to be him in thirty-sixish years. All I could do was reach out and grasp his hand.
Hes charming. Lovely. Gentle. Sweet. Knowing that he was on his way to somewhere else, I let him go. How much I wanted to sit with him and just soak up all hes teaching us, but alas.
And for the rest of the conference, I couldnt find him alone. He must have posed for a thousand photos, shook hundreds of hands, and answered the same questions a million times. I dont think he minded. Next year, Im hoping that hell be back and this time, my tongue wont be tied. (It probably will, but thats OK. Ill get to see him again.)
So, thank you, Richard. Thanks for being my rockstar. And for not wearing leather pants. Im figuring you didnt because Florida is pretty hot in July. Thats it, right?