Finding Passion In Challenge: Joel Godett’s Mission To Help Others With Type 1 Diabetes

In January of this year, Joel Godett was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Godett isn’t what people typically think about when they think of diabetes. He’s a fit guy and an avid CrossFitter who has worked in sports broadcasting and is a contributor to the Morning Chalk Up. But Type 1 Diabetes doesn’t care about all that. It doesn’t care how many miles you can run or what kind of eating habits you choose. It’s simply a draw in the genetic lottery. 

One big thing: At 32 years old, Joel found himself coming to terms with what it meant to be a Type 1 Dabetic and the impact it would have on his life. While he considered himself one of the lucky ones with good insurance and low premiums, he soon realized that other people didn’t have the same privilege as him when it came to treating their diabetes. That’s when Joel decided he needed to do something.

• “There is a lot of money in type one diabetes as far as research goes,” Godett said. 
• “But then I thought, there has to be something that creates money for people that can’t afford the costs associated with this,” he added. 
• It took him two pages of Google search results to finally find a charity that raised money directly for those affected by the condition and it turned out to be right in his own backyard.

Going above and beyond: The organization, based right near Indianapolis where Godett lives, was called Diabetes Will’s Way and focuses on giving funds directly to those affected by diabetes to help them pay for critical resources like insulin.

• Godett decided to take action and immediately began talking to his gym owner at Three Kings CrossFit about hosting a fundraiser, but he didn’t stop there.
• “My second question [to my gym owner] was ‘how many other gyms do you think we could get to do it with us?’” Godett said.
• “I decided I was going to sprint a marathon before I knew how to crawl and that if we’re going to do this, we’re going to go big,” Godett added.
• Godett began driving to gyms within an hour radius of the Indianapolis area, 35 total, and asked them to participate in person in his fundraiser. Out of the 35 gyms, 22 said yes and soon, he had over 270 athletes registered to participate.
• Godett also managed to get the support of twelve corporate partners, including $300 in gift cards from Bear Komplex, which were given away to the top scores.
• At the conclusion of the event, Godett raised close to $10,000. More money than he thought possible.

More than just a fundraiser: After signing up 22 gyms to participate, Godett was dead set on making this event more than just a fundraiser and spreading awareness for Type 1 Diabetes and the impact it can have on people.

• Godett did his best to return to each of the participating gyms in the weeks leading up to the fundraiser to workout with their community and share his story.
• “I would sometimes workout at three gyms in one day,” Godett said.
• His goal was to get in front of as many people as possible to spread awareness of the costs associated with type one diabetes. 
• Even if the athletes didn’t participate in the event, he hopes he was able to educate hundreds of people in the communities he reached out to, especially about the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
• “Personally, for me, it was a really fulfilling thing,” Godett said of his work these past few months to bring awareness to Type 1 Diabetes.

Bigger and better: Moving forward, Godett hopes to make this fundraiser even bigger next year.

• “My goal next year is to be in all gyms around Indianapolis.,” said Godett. “Eventually, I want to be in every gym in the state,” he added.
• Godett continued, “We want to blow [this event] this up. We want to make this the next Barbells for Boobs.”
• “The more this multiplies, the more people we touch,” said Godett “If another gym comes along, that’s another kid who can buy insulin.”
• “When I take a step back and think about what this money will do, that is what is awesome,” Godett concluded.

Why it matters: Godett’s enthusiasm and passion for this event is what made this event so successful. Despite a diagnosis that made a difficult year even more challenging, Joel Godett found it in himself to give back and fight through those challenges. It’s stories like these that embody the true spirit of CrossFit and the community it has created. People like Godett serve as the heart and spirit of the community. Constantly pushing forward to help and serve others despite the challenges they might face. Just like the person who reaches out their hand to help you up after a brutal workout, despite their own tired body, Joel Godett does the same to others who suffer from Type 1 Diabetes. It is people like Godett who make real changes to make real differences in people’s lives.