NORMAN — They’re not bound by bloodline, but University of Oklahoma Senior Ryan Fightmaster’s brothers continue answering his emergency calls for help.
His fraternity brothers, that is.
In November, his roommate at Sigma Phi Epsilon revived Fightmaster, a Type I diabetic, from a diabetic seizure.
And now, 150 fraternity brothers are picking up the ring.
The Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter at OU is organizing the Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes on Sept. 25, with proceeds funneling to the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center in Oklahoma City.
“They made my life so much better as a kid,” said Fightmaster of the diabetes center.
Fightmaster, who played high school football at Westmoore High School, received treatment for diabetes from The Children’s Hospital at the OU Medical Center after he was diagnosed at eight years old.
“I never had to sacrifice any dreams. As a kid, you never want to think something isn’t possible. They never even let that thought creep in,” said Fightmaster, who, with his fraternity brothers, began brainstorming ideas of ways to raise funds for diabetes about 10 months ago, after he seized.
The race, which snakes through the OU campus, will be the fraternity’s largest service project for the year, Fightmaster said, adding that the group hopes to expand it to one of the largest races in central Oklahoma with lofty dreams of it being on par with Race for the Cure in about five years.
According to the Oklahoma State Health Department, more than 12 percent of Oklahomans have been diagnosed with diabetes and 39 percent are at risk for developing the disease, ranking the state in the top.
“Any way you look at it, we’re at the top of the list,” said Boren, a Type II diabetic, who is backing the run and has given permission for the course to end at Owen Field inside the Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
“I hope a lot of people will turn out and make the run a financial success,” he said.
Those interested can sign up for the race at www.okdiabetesrun.com.
The one-mile Family Fun Run will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K race will follow at 9 a.m.
The diabetes center, through its Know Your Numbers campaign, will have a station at the race where anyone age 18 to 40 can receive free screenings for lipids, glucose/blood sugar and blood pressure to help identify diabetics and those susceptible to the disease.
“Most diabetics are diagnosed in their 50s and 60s, after the process has been going on in the body for a long time causing damage,” said Martha Ogilvie, administrative director at the center, who has worked closely with Fightmaster in organizing the race. “If we can diagnose people earlier, we can help prevent a lot of damage.”
The screenings will take place 7 a.m. to noon on the day of the race inside Gate 11 of the stadium.
Fightmaster admitted that planning for the run, while simultaneously tackling a course load for his dual entrepreneurship and pre-med major hasn’t been a stroll.
Luckily, he’s had a team of five with him at the starting line, and 150 members and pledges who’ll be there at the finish.
“This hasn’t been just me,” Fightmaster said. “It’s not about anything I did. It’s a need for something. This is Sig Ep’s goal, not Ryan’s goal.”
Nanette Light 366-3541 nlight@normantranscript.com
