Not Dead Yet: My Race Against Disease from Diagnosis to Dominance

Diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at only seven months, Southerland was projected to either be dead by the age of 25 or have suffered blindness and kidney failure. But thanks to a meticulous monitoring of his disease, the author persevered to become a highly successful athlete and entrepreneur, and as it turns out, a talented storyteller as well. Living most of his childhood in a single-parent household in Florida, Southerland found his freedom through bicycling, which gave him the freedom he needed and the motivation necessary to control his diabetes. As a teenager, he became a fixture in bike racing in Florida, and his competitive spirit grew stronger through high school and college%E2%80%94though so, too, did his desire to help others similarly afflicted. From that came Team Type 1, which started as a business plan for an economics class, but has transformed into a professional team that raises worldwide awareness for diabetes (and consists largely of diabetics themselves). The story, filled with cycling jargon, will appeal to enthusiasts of the sport (Southerland details many of his triumphs, including a pair of 3,000-mile, cross-country team victories). But even those with no connection to bicycles should be as inspired by his current awareness work as his struggles to arrive here. (June)