Athletes with Diabetes
Thursday, August 14th, 2008
It’s always a trying time when waiting for a diagnosis, and once it comes there’s a moment of relief because you finally KNOW. Then comes the questions - what do I do now? Can I still do all the things I want to do? How much am I going to have to change my ways in order to remain healthy? What are the risks if I don’t, if I do, what if what if what if?
Diabetes is something that must be controlled for the long haul, and we’re lucky that there are some great role models that show us while changes need to be made, it doesn’t have to steal your life, at all. Even Pro football players.
The NFL is in the middle of training camps, preparing for the upcoming season, and recently Wade Wilson, quarterback coach for the Dallas Cowboys, and Jay Cutler, Denver’s starting quarterback chatted a bit about real life, blood sugar, insulin pumps and managing life with Type 1 diabetes.
“It’s a constant battle,” said Wilson, who has lived with diabetes the last 22 years, “but if he can handle professional football, he can handle diabetes. I told him I’d be pulling for him.”
Wilson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1986, at the start of his fifth season with Minnesota. He played another 14 seasons, and has been an assistant coach since 2000. He’d lost 20 pounds and was urinating all the time, and those are the symptoms that sent him to the doctor. He didn’t think diabetes, as he had no family history, even though his insulin-making cells were being destroyed.
Cutler, age 25, has almost the same story to tell. He’d lost 20 pounds during last season, was hungry all the time but never gained weight. He continued to play, passing for 20 touchdowns and 3,497 yards. In April he received his diagnosis for Type 1 diabetes after a workout at Vanderbebilt - his alma mater - where he was weak and lathargic.. He’s regained his weight, and his arm is strong as of Wednesday’s practice between the Bronco’s and the Cowboys.
“There have been a lot of people that have played with diabetes,” Cutler said. “Even now, athletes have diabetes, especially Type 1, and they are playing. There are people that play with pumps on, so it definitely can be done. I am managing it right now, and it is going well.”
He wears a pump during practice to regulate his insulin, while Wilson takes injections. Wilson took injections, and the trainers had sugar on hand for him just in case. As a player, he had a workout program, and now watches what he eats. Cutler has hired a personal chef to help him monitor what he eats. He knows he’ll be judged on his performance, not on the disease. You are judged on how well you play, and how many games you win.
After their short meeting, Cutler was impressed. “He (Wilson) went through his career with it, and I don’t see any reason why I can’t.”
Check out the Jay Cutler Foundation for more about Jay, and his efforts to aid Diabetes Research!
