Charlie Kimball carrying torch for diabetes sufferers at Toronto Indy
TORONTO — Charlie Kimball was born in Britain and raised in California, but hanging on the wall of his living room is a painting of an iconic residence in London, Ont., — the Banting House, alongside the “Flame of Hope.”
The 33-year-old IndyCar driver, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2007, was given the work by Canadian artist David Harrington at a talk in Mississauga, Ont., a few years ago.
“Just talking about it gives me goosebumps, cause it’s so real,” Kimball said in a phone interview Monday. “It’s a daily reminder that I’m part of this incredible community around the world who live and overcome the challenge of diabetes every day.”
In his own way, Kimball is attempting to carry on the legacy of Canadian scientist Frederick Banting, who won the Nobel Prize in 1923 for co-discovering insulin.