Transcend Warrior – Gavin Newton
April 12, 2021
My Story:
I am a runner and run for my high school’s cross country and track team and this past cross country season was my first sport season with T1D. I wore a small belt bag, called a SpiBelt, to carry my low supplies which at the time were gummies and Clif Energy Chew Bloks. These things were quite a hassle to carry around and I found that they took awhile to bring my low blood sugars up, which isn’t ideal for in the middle of a run. When I got Transcend Glucose Gels and replaced my old low snacks with these for during runs, I was amazed. The Transcend Glucose Gels were so much lighter, took up way less space, and were much faster at bringing up low blood sugars during runs. Just a few weeks ago, a cross country race was about five minutes from starting and I noticed that my blood sugar was trending down. I was so nervous because I thought that even if I ate anything in that moment, it wouldn’t act quickly enough. But then I remembered that I had Transcend Glucose Gels with me! I ate one of those and it took care of my blood sugar and kept me steady throughout the race.
My Health Details
Type of Diabetes:Type 1
Low blood sugar instances per week:6+ Instances
Daily number of times checking blood sugar:4-6 times/day
Managing Diabetes with:Insulin Pump
What age were you diagnosed with diabetes?11-15
How long does it typically take you to come up when you are low?Under 1 hour
How has Transcend helped treat your low blood sugars?
Transcend Glucose Gels have been a game changer in helping me treat my low blood sugars. Before I got Transcend Glucose Gels, I never found a food that really brought up my lows in a timely manner without spiking my blood sugar too high. I was drinking a lot of juice, which was hard to carry around all the time and I got sick of it really quickly. Then, I won Transcend Glucose Gels at a Zoom party, and have loved them ever since. I love how quickly they bring up my blood sugars when I am low as well as how they bring me to a safe blood sugar without spiking me too high. Their compact size is also so great because they can easily fit in pockets and they are easy to carry on runs.
Do you have a diabetic hero that you look up to? If so, who and why?
A diabetic hero that I look up to is David Mina (@type1livabetic on Instagram.) He was the first diabetes account I found on Instagram after being diagnosed and I always felt that he was such a role model and inspiration to me. He is so encouraging, helpful, and always reminds me to live beyond Type 1 Diabetes!
What is your biggest challenge with diabetes?
I would say that my biggest challenge with diabetes is feeling different than others and having an extra thing to be thinking/worrying about. Sometimes it can be difficult to be different than all my friends and have to bolus before I eat, check my blood sugar, and manage lows and highs while they don’t. I also feel that diabetes is always an extra thing to be worrying about and is almost always on my mind in some way, which can be challenging.
What have you learned from your experiences with diabetes?
Something I have learned from my experiences with diabetes is to always look on the bright side. In any given situation, no matter how bad, I believe that there is something positive. For example, I now have countless friends that I never would have met if I hadn’t been diagnosed with T1D. I was able to find the positive, my friends, in the negative situation of getting diabetes. A few other things I have learned are to value my health more and better advocate for myself.
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