He is a cutie in this picture
Jay Cutler of the
Chicago Bears is not only a gunslinging Pro Bowl quarterback; he's also
probably the highest-profile athlete today with diabetes. A lot has happened
since Cutler's October 2008 interview in Diabetes Forecast: He left the Denver Broncos and signed with the
Bears; won a $30 million contract extension through the 2013 season; joined
with Eli Lilly & Co. to send kids to American Diabetes Association
Diabetes Camps; and has educated football fans about diabetes while being a role
model for kids with the disease.
Cutler gave Forecast a mid-season update:
How has playing football been different since you were diagnosed
with type 1 diabetes in 2008?
Well, I had to learn a
whole new routine—taking insulin shots, checking and regulating my blood sugar,
just getting used to being a person with diabetes. The first couple months were
tough. But I did have a good season after I was diagnosed. A lot of that has to
do with my teammates and good coaching, but some of it—I just wanted to prove
people wrong. Now it's just becoming part of who I am.
How do you manage your blood glucose on game days?
I check my blood sugar
about four or five times before the game—try to stay around 150 to 160 [mg/dl] before kickoff. Most of the time, I prick my
finger every time we come off the field, especially in the first half. There
are definitely dangers out there—we try to avoid them at all costs. That's why
we check as many times as we do. I think the worst thing imaginable would be to
get really low and pass out in the middle of a play, or in the huddle. That
would scare a lot of people. I try to avoid it as much as possible, but it's
still a reality that could happen.
How have your new teammates and coaches on the Bears reacted to
your diabetes?
Everybody's been
great. The Bears' medical and training staff has helped keep my diabetes
management seamless, and the whole organization is committed to diabetes causes
thanks to the work Coach [Lovie] Smith does with the [American
Diabetes Association]. But hopefully no one on the team thinks
about the fact that I have diabetes. On the field, I'm just the quarterback.
How satisfied are you with the Bears' performance this season
thus far?
We've had some good
games but still have some things to work on as an offense. We're all working to
make the playoffs, so hopefully we'll get there.
If you have an off day, do teammates, the media, or fans look to
your diabetes as a reason?
I hope not. I don't want
sympathy—I want to be judged like every other quarterback. But living with
diabetes in the public eye does make it harder. If I go out and my numbers are
off and I have a bad game, I know I'll be criticized for it. I just try not to
worry about it and go out and play my game.
How did the stress of the big change you recently made—leaving
Denver to play for Chicago—affect your health?
No problems. You're
always going to have stress; you just deal with it and watch your blood sugar,
manage as you have to.
What is the media spotlight like now that you are in a bigger
city?
When you're an NFL
quarterback, you're going to be in the spotlight no matter where you are. But
the Bears are one of the highest-profile teams in the league, so there's a lot
of attention generated by the nature of the job. I'm really enjoying my time in
Chicago and glad to be a part of the organization for years to come.
You have also taken on the role of diabetes advocate, helping
send kids to diabetes camp with the Touchdowns for Diabetes program and
visiting children's hospitals.
Visiting children's hospitals
in the off-season with [Eli Lilly & Co.] was a great way to connect with
kids and families who are dealing with this disease. I've been fortunate to
meet some incredible kids along the way.
The first visit, we
met some kids in Tampa who had been diagnosed at 3 and 4 years old. I just
can't even imagine what that's like for the kids and the parents at that age. A
couple months later we visited La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago. A kid
came up and gave me a letter. I get a lot of letters from kids and parents, but
this one was different. He had been diagnosed about three years before I was,
and he wrote me a letter to let me know everything was going to be OK. That
really touched me. I've gotten to know him a little, and he and his parents
came to training camp this summer and I got to see him after practice for a few
minutes. Those are the kind of experiences I really like—when it's just two
people with diabetes connecting.
With Touchdowns for Diabetes,
I love the fact that we're working with Lilly and ADA to help get more kids to
camp. We know camp is so important for kids to connect with other kids with
diabetes, so I'm glad we can work together to give families a little help.
What are your plans for continuing to use your celebrity as a
platform to raise awareness about diabetes?
I'm looking forward to
meeting more kids and families affected by diabetes as we tour the country with
Lilly in the off-season. And we're planning to do more with diabetes through my foundation. Stay tuned.
What do you hope that kids with diabetes—including young
athletes—will learn from your story?
I want to play as well
as I can on the field, but I really want to use my story to reach as many
people as I possibly can with this disease—especially kids. Before diabetes, I
wanted to win a Super Bowl, have a long career. I still want to win. But I also
want to help make people more aware of the issues faced by people with
diabetes. I don't want to just be a face. I want to be hands-on and make a
difference. I think I got this for a reason. I know I have the opportunity to
help change lives. I definitely want to continue to have an impact and inspire
kids with the message that diabetes doesn't have to stand in the way of
achieving their own goals in life.
I don't really know much about Jay Cutler and I don't really follow football, but this interview really touched my heart. He seems to really care about getting awareness out there and that is inspiring. He really wants to help people and as much as this disease sucks, I am glad to have him on my team (team diabetes that is). man... that was lame.
This is the website I got the interview from! Enjoy!!
No comments:
Post a Comment
comments always welcome.