Christopher Thomas,27,was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes , Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin   three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance. After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he' d better find a way to fight back. He left Canton,Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar..com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones-a place where over l,100people share personal stories, information and resources. Jason Swencki' s son, Kody, was diagnosed with diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children' s forums together most evenings. " Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site ' s volunteers." They know what he' s going through, so he doesn' t feel alone. " Kody is anything but alone; Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million, diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages. These days, Thomas' s main focus is his charity,Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people--225 to date-- who can' t afford a diabetic' s huge expenses. Fight-it. Org has raised about $ 23,000 -- in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean. Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. " Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure, " says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar ' s original members. " But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now. " What can we learn about Fight It?
It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties. It organizes parties for volunteers once a year. It offers less expensive medicines to diabetics. It owns a well-known medical website.