September 27, 2007
Sign up for the 2007 UWMC Seattle Marathon
Tami Sadusky’s secret dream is to own a gourmet cupcake shop. She’s even named it Red Velvet.
It’s a remarkable dream, considering that until 13 years ago, Sadusky, 47, couldn’t even eat cupcakes herself. She was diagnosed with diabetes at age 13 and by the time she was 33 years old, her kidney and pancreas were failing.
She took insulin four times a day and checked her blood sugar up to 10 times a day by sticking her finger, drawing blood and dropping it into a device that measured her blood sugar. At times, her blood sugar levels would drop so low that she would pass out and wake up to see medics standing over her, after concerned bystanders had called 911.
Dr. Irl Hirsch, her physician and UW professor of medicine, told her “your kidneys are failing, your eyesight is failing and one of these days you will not be waking up from the ‘passing out’ events that had become quite frequent. You’re not going to survive this,” he said.
“I had so many health problems; I was pessimistic,” she said. But after the pancreas-kidney transplant, “I woke up, and my outlook on everything had changed. I was now hopeful and thankful and knew that many, many good things lie ahead for me.”
To celebrate her transplant, Sadusky will be walking the UW Medical Center Seattle Marathon 2007 as a part of Team Transplant on Sunday, Nov. 25. Sadusky, who participated in the marathon for the first three years Team Transplant existed, but took a couple years off to pursue her passion of competitive ballroom dancing, will walk either the half or full marathon with the team, led by UWMC dietician and Team Transplant Coach Alysun Deckert.
Sadusky was diagnosed with diabetes when she was living in a small fishing village in Alaska. She received treatment at the small, local hospital. By 1991, Sadusky had moved to Seattle, in large part for the health care provided at the UW. A few years later, Sadusky had her transplant. Seven months after that, she began working at the UW. Sadusky is now director of the UW Grant and Contract Accounting Office.
She still takes 45 pills each day to make sure her body does not reject the organs.
“The pills are not an issue at all. I have no complaints. I take tests at the hospital every few weeks,” said Sadusky, who lives in Bellevue. “I can eat what I want. The big thing is to make sure I take my meds and stay in the best physical shape I can.”
Occasionally, Sadusky indulges in gummi bears and jelly beans. She is a competitive ballroom dancer. In addition to dancing, she volunteers for Life Center Northwest, talking about diabetes and encouraging people to become organ donors.
Her transplant “is not a big thing in my life. It’s part of me, but I can do pretty much what I want.” Including opening a cupcake shop, which Sadusky wants to do “someday, when I have a little more time.”
Run, walk or volunteer
Opportunities for participating in UW Medical Center Seattle Marathon
You don’t have to be a runner or a walker to be a part of the UW Medical Center Seattle Marathon 2007 on Sunday, Nov. 25. It takes thousands of volunteers to present the marathon each year. Volunteers hand out water, serve as course marshals and wrap runners in warm blankets as they cross the finish line.
To volunteer, e-mail ppoulin@u.washington.edu or call 206-598-4454.
The marathon starts and ends at Seattle Center. Runners and walkers may participate in a half-marathon of 13.1 miles or the full marathon of 26.2 miles. Want to walk or run? Join Team Transplant and train with a group of transplant survivors and their supporters. E-mail teamtx@u.washington.edu.
For more information, go to www.seattlemarathon.org, or call 206-729-3660.
