Kris Freeman may have won the 30K cross-country race at the U.S. National Championships in Anchorage, Alaska last month – had he not been forced to stop and test his blood sugar late in the race. Freeman came in second.

The first and last time an American won an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing was 34 years ago. Freeman hopes to end that drought in the winter Olympics, despite having type 1 diabetes.

As a hockey household, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the winter Olympics to cheer on team USA. I’ll admit, cross-country skiing was never something I had given much thought about and it was not on my radar when I thought of the events I’d like to check out. That said, we’re now officially on the Kris Freeman bandwagon and our household will be cheering loudly for him when he races in Vancouver.

He’s a great role model for Charlie and for all children with diabetes. There are many professional athletes with type 1 diabetes out there, but perhaps none in a sport as physically grueling as his. On the Olympic stage, he competes in a sport that is dominated by Scandinavians. Since he was a kid, he was told that Americans could never succeed in cross-country skiing. He was also told by doctors when diagnosed 10 years ago at age 20, that his career as a ski racer was over. It seems he likes a challenge.

Freeman, who wears an OmniPod, blogs about the difficulties of competing with type 1 diabetes.

"I get nervous before a race and release sugar just like everyone else. Unfortunately my regulatory system is broken and I have to give myself the appropriate amount of insulin. This is where things get tricky. How nervous I am affects how much sugar I release into my body. More nerves equal more glucose. The difficult part is there is no real way to monitor how nervous I am."

As a father of a very anxious child with diabetes, I can certainly relate to how nerves affect blood sugar.

Freeman says he tries to settle down by listening to calming music. Easier said than done for someone who loves heavy metal. Lets hope he comes home with some heavy medal.

In an interview, Freeman recalled a time when he was openly sticking himself in his stomach with a syringe while other teams sat together in a cafeteria.

"Hopefully, I'll win a medal and everybody in the world will know I use insulin," he said.

In the odd chance Kris stumbles upon this blog, please offer your support by cheering him on in the comments area below.

Go Kris! We’re all rooting for you!