Читать книгу Diabetes For Dummies - Рубин Алан Л. - Страница 5

Diabetes has become such a common disease in the United States that in any group of ten people, one will probably have it. Is it any wonder that successful people have diabetes in every walk of life? In this chapter, I tell you of the accomplishments of just a few of them. Just like them, I can promise you that if you follow the advice in this book, your diabetes will never prevent you from accomplishing your goals. In fact, your success in managing diabetes may lead to success in other areas of your life.

Keeping good company

If you have diabetes, you’re not alone. Quite a few famous people live with diabetes every day, just like you. Here are just a few actors that you may recognize:

✔ Tom Hanks: This actor has played numerous roles since he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2013, including Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, and others. Diabetes hasn’t slowed his career at all. In addition to acting, he also produces, directs, and writes screenplays.

✔ Wendell Pierce: If you enjoyed The Wire on TV, you enjoyed watching this actor, who played Detective Bunk Moreland. He has been in more than 30 movies and has played many roles on TV including Treme. Pierce has tried to help others with his disease by starting a chain of groceries that sell quality food in low-income areas.

✔ Sharon Stone: No one could say that this actress with type 1 diabetes has failed to obtain any roles or to play them with the greatest skill.

People with diabetes also successfully perform in every professional sport. Here are a few sports and the athletes who live with diabetes and still perform at high levels: (To read about the role of sports and exercise in your life, see Chapter 10.)

✔ Football: Kyle Love of the Carolina Panthers and Jake Byrne, who played with the San Diego Chargers, are football players who don’t let their diabetes slow them down. Love has type 2 diabetes, and Byrne has type 1 diabetes.

✔ Baseball: Sam Fuld plays baseball for the Oakland Athletics and Brandon Marrow plays baseball with the San Diego Padres.

✔ Basketball: Gary Forbes plays basketball for the Toronto Raptors and Adam Morrison recently retired from professional basketball after playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Bobcats.

If you think that diabetes might prevent you from a career in the sciences, just consider these modern day researchers with diabetes performing at the highest level in every field:

✔ David Cummings, MD: A professor at the University of Washington, he is exploring the place of metabolic surgery in type 2 diabetes.

✔ Martin Gillis, DDS: He is clarifying the effect of diabetes on the oral cavity.

✔ Nicholas Mayall: He added to science’s knowledge of nebulae, supernovae, spiral galaxies, and the age of the universe, and he’s in no way limited by his diabetes. And neither should you be.

Realizing your potential

The names in the preceding paragraphs are just a few examples of people with diabetes who have achieved greatness. Here is my point: Diabetes shouldn’t stop you from doing what you want to do with your life. If you follow the rules of good diabetic care, as I describe in Chapters 7 through 12, you will actually be healthier than people without diabetes who smoke, overeat, and/or don’t exercise enough.