Miguel Paludo

Celebrity Champion

My name is Miguel Paludo. I am a race car driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

I want to stop diabetes because it is a disease I live with each and every day.

Like a New Best Friend
I was diagnosed with diabetes in May of 2004; I was 20 years old. I had to learn to live with a disease that was foreign to me. I thought that I would never be able to race or live a normal life.

I want to educate children and adults that diabetes is a disease, it does not have a cure, but it does not have to stop you from achieving your goals and dreams.

Diabetes is like your new best friend. If you love him, take care of him and embrace the fact that he will always be there, then you too can be just like everyone else, just a little more special.

I manage my diabetes on a daily basis. I have learned to live with the disease and make precautions for it.

Still Achieving My Goals
Living with diabetes has not stopped me from achieving my goals. I moved from Brazil last year to join Red Horse Racing. I am only a few races away from completing my first full-time season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

I am married and just welcomed my first son Oliver into the world in August. I continue to make a conscious effort to manage my disease on and off the track.

I hope that as I gain notoriety in the NASCAR community I can continue to educate the general public on diabetes and help to find a cure.

Stop Diabetes on the Hood
In addition to competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Paludo has volunteered his time to talk with campers at the American Diabetes Association’s Camp Independence in South Carolina. Campers painted the hood of Paludo’s truck that he then raced at the Bristol Motor Speedway a few weeks later (below).