Liz Taylor (full name: Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor) is the British-American actress regarded as one of Hollywood’s greatest from the Golden Years as well as a well known celebrity and role model with type 1 diabetes.

Best known for her role as Cleopatra alongside Richard Burton and Rex Harrison, the film is often regarded as ‘the film that changed
Hollywood
’.

Elizabeth Taylor has been rumoured to have been diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes
though this has never restricted her lifestyle which has included numerous marrages, being the mother of four children and trying her hand as an entrepreneur.

In late 2009, Elizabeth Taylor publicly

denied

that she has diabetes.

She was reported in the news at the time as commenting: “I was completely honest with you about my hospitalisation. Now the press, bless their little hearts, had to add something by saying I had diabetes, which is a total lie. But I guess they can’t help themselves.”

With an ever increasing number of people developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes, it has never been more important to look to role models in order to gain insight and inspiration.

It is often easy to look at celebrities assuming that their lives consist exclusively of wining, dining and socialising.

However, many high flying celebrities, sportsmen and socialites actually have diabetes yet never appear to allow having this condition interfere with their aspirations, goals and ambitions.

It is for these reasons that they are such great role models to many people with the condition. Below are just a handful of the celebrities, sportsmen, politicians and socialites who have diabetes yet have not let the condition hold them back from attaining their goals and dreams.

Pioneers of diabetes

As well as the celebrities listed below, there are numerous individuals, whom are considered pioneers – for either their contribution to diabetes research and understanding or those whose resiliance is positively uplifting. See the

complete list of diabetes pioneers

If there any celebrities or pioneers you’d like us to profile,

let us know

Sharon Stone is an American actress, film producer and former fashion model. Her first internationally recognised role was in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct.

Stone has since won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her role in Casino.

Sharon Stone has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes which must be controlled using daily insulin injections.

However, it is clear that Stone has never allowed the condition to restrict her in any way and is therefore an inspiration to many people with diabetes worldwide.

Herbert George Wells was an English author often referred to as the ‘Father of Science Fiction’. Wells, who was diagnosed with diabetes in later life, wrote many novels including War of the Worlds, The Time Machine and The Invisible Man.

H.G. Wells also used his literary skills to work as a historia, political commentator and journalist.

Diabetes diagnosis

H.G. Wells was reportedly diagnosed with mild diabetes in his early 60’s, in July 1931, he became a private patient of the well known physician R.D. Lawrence who in 1933 wanted to build a diabetes in-patient department at King’s College Hospital the funding for which he appealed to his private patients.

Wells, rather than giving lots of money, used his highly regarded name to write to The Times Newspaper appealing for

donations

from readers.

The letter received a massive response which adequately funded Lawrence’s diabetes department.

Just a year later Wells wrote a second letter to The Times suggesting the development of a Diabetic Associatio, again there was a huge response which resulted with its establishment and left Wells the president.

The Diabetic Association was developed into the British Diabetic Association in 1954 and in 2000 it was renamed

Diabetes UK

Diabetes UK

This indicates H.G. Wells was not only a significant and successful novelist but also was the one to set the wheels in motion for the diabetes charity Diabetes UK.

The organisation has maintained the goals proposed by Wells in his second letter to The Times, suggesting that the Diabetic Association should ‘promote study, the diffusion of knowledge and the proper treatment of diabetes in this country.’

Additionally Wells instigated the first Diabetic Journal, himself writing the opening paragraphs for its debut issue.

Gary Mabbutt was born on August the 23rd 1961, he began playing football for Bristol Rovers before joining Tottenham Hotspur first division team. Gary has type 1 diabetes.

It was at this club he became captain and proceeded to lead his team to victory by winning the FA cup.

He also won 16 caps playing for England and although was usually found playing a central defence role, scored a goal in the notorious 1986 match against Yugoslavia.

Type 1 diabetes

Gary Mabbutt has

type 1 diabetes

He was diagnosed by the Bristol Rovers club doctor aged 17 complaining of typical diabetes symptoms such as:

• Excessive thirst
• Being lethargic and
• Running out of energy quickly despite being physically fit

However, this did not shatter his ambitions to be the first diabetic to play for England.

Throughout his long football career possibly more so after his retirement, Mabbutt used his

celebrity

status to create awareness about the diabetes condition and has served as a role model to many children with diabetes.

Mabbutt once appeared on the

children’s

television show Blue Peter where he injected an orange with insulin to show viewers the effect having the condition had on his day to day life.

Diabetes charity work

In addition to this he has worked with

Diabetes UK

, the leading diabetes charity, and has frequently used the saying that you shouldn’t live your life around diabetes but work the condition around your life.

When NASCAR driver Ryan Reed races, it’s not just for personal glory: it’s for everyone with diabetes who has been discouraged from pursuing their dreams.

Reed was

diagnosed

with

type 1 diabetes

later than many athletes (aged 17), something which he describes as both “harder […] [and] a little bit easier,” than if he had been diagnosed at a younger age.

As an athlete, such a late diagnosis didn’t help. He had already settled into a routine, and type 1 diabetes necessitated significant changes.

But Reed never gave up, and his career has gone from strength to strength despite his diabetes. Along the way, he’s become a leading advocate for

diabetes awareness

, and he is sponsored by both Lilly Diabetes and Race Diabetes. He sums up his message to young people with diabetes as:

“Don’t let diabetes take away from your dreams. Don’t let diabetes

emotionally

defeat you. It’s amazing the technology we have nowadays to help manage your diabetes. If you want to, go out and chase your dreams, and don’t let diabetes stop you from doing that.”

Controlling blood sugar while racing

Ryan Reed has a very particular set-up in his car while racing:

“There’s a few things that I think are unique to men, having diabetes. One of them is a

Continuous Glucose Monitor

, made by Dexcom. That’s probably my biggest tool inside the race car.

“I mount that on the dash. The, if I have a

low blood sugar

there’s a drink inside my car that’s high in glucose. And if I have

high blood sugar

there’s a guy who can give me an

insulin injection

at the pit stop.”

The only other racing driver with a similar set-up is

Charlie Kimball

This, perhaps, isn’t surprising: both drivers share the same endocrinologist, Anne Peters. Reed got in touch with Peters after contacting all the high-profile diabetic athletes he could.

Reed is effusive in his praise for Peters. Her approach has allowed him not only to control his

blood glucose levels

, but to flourish as an athlete at the same time:

“I think that, for men, one of the coolest things about working with Anne was that she not only wanted me to perform like an athlete, but she wanted me to train like an athlete and manage my diabetes around that.

“She wanted me to go out there and be able to train 100 per cent. I feel like I eat how I eat, I don’t sacrifice

carbs

and have low energy from my diabetes during a race, and that’s really cool.”

A diabetes role model

Since his diagnosis, Reed has become an increasingly prominent advocate for diabetes awareness. He wants young people with type 1 to know that it doesn’t hold them back. But, at the same time, it’s not easy; he describes the time after his diagnosis as “a challenging month for me; an emotionally challenging month of my life.”

The four years since his diagnosis have bee, he says, “crazy.” In a good way, for the most part:

“I have a lot of people in my life, whether it’s through racing or being at an event or a diabetes camp or whatever. You know, I have kids and their parents who I still talk to today, who I see quite often. It’s crazy what ties you together. I’ve built some amazing relationships through having diabetes.”


Read the full interview with Ryan Reed

Rugby fly-half Henry Slade signed his first professional contract with Exeter Chiefs at the age of 18, the same year in which he also developed type 1 diabetes.

Now aged 22, Slade has adapted to life with diabetes, but admitted there was a moment he thought his career may have come to a premature end.

Slade says: “All I could think was: ‘I want to be a rugby player’ and I was questioning: ‘Can I do that?’”

Fortunately for Slade, he was told his rugby career would not be jeopardised, providing he was able to control his diabetes.

Trial and error

Having only had diabetes for three years, the process of educating himself on what management routines worked for training and matches was a rapid one for Slade.

“I was often higher because of adrenaline. If my blood sugar was 7 or 8 mmol/L before I went out for a training session, I’d have a couple of jelly babies which would last me up to an hour and a half. Although, if I was to do that before a match I’d come in with a higher blood sugar.

“So I had to adapt little things like having an insulin jab before a match or at half-time to compensate for the adrenaline. Chris Pennell, from Worcester Warriors, who also has type 1, spoke to me and said he injects before a match, so I’ve only recently started doing that.

“During the first couple of years, I wasn’t really thinking I could do that. It’s different going from training to matches and that’s probably the thing that I had to trial and error with the most.”

Living with diabetes

Slade has not let his diabetes hinder any of his ambitions.  He was called into the England squad for the 2015 Six Nations and won the Aviva Premiership player of month for February 2015.

When asked if diabetes has changed him, Slade answered: “I wouldn’t say it’s changed my life. The way I look at it is you can’t change what’s happened to you. I’ve got diabetes and it’s something I just have to live with.

“It’s frustrating having diabetes, but it doesn’t stop you doing anything. You can do whatever you want, it’s just about having control and changing things like when you go out – you need something you can eat if you have a hypo.

“It shouldn’t limit you any way physically, though. It’s not going to affect how fast you can run or how strong you are. It’s just a matter of controlling it and if you can do that then there’s nothing you can’t do.”

Diabetes awareness

People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes may attest that awareness of the disease can be generally poor, which Slade himself has also found out.

“When people ask about how you developed diabetes, they often think you’ve eaten too many sweets. Then there are people that think now I can’t eat any sugar at all.

“You don’t realise, though, that most people don’t have a clue and know nothing about diabetes. That can get a little frustrating, but then I sit back and think actually, that’s probably not their fault.”

• Read the full
  
  interview with Henry Slade
  

Name:

Chris Southwell

Date of birth:

June 2, 1982

Hometown:

Cholderto, Verbier

Diabetes Type:

Type 1

Chris Southwell is an extreme freeride snowboarder, who also happens to have diabetes. Having to test and control his condition on the slopes doesn’t stop Chris flying off cliffs and competing internationally as a snowboarder.

Chris on the BREEZE 2

Chris Southwell uses the BREEZE 2 from Bayer to manage his diabetes. This is what he had to say about the BREEZE 2:

“I totally rely on the BREEZE 2 meter.

To keep up the pace of my training programme and competing schedule in Extreme Freeride Snowboarding, I need a meter that is speedy, accurate and convenient.

No other meter has given me this level of freedom to manage my condition and perform at this level.

The disc system holds ten

test strips

so I only load a new disc once a day… So, it lasts all day no matter what conditions I’m in! I get fast and accurate results  and it allows me to make any adjustments and concentrate on my riding.”

Easy to use

“The Breeze 2 10 strip disc is so easy to use.

The last thing I want to be worrying about on the slopes is opening testing strips and trying to put them into a tester, with the self contained disc I can easily get a fast, warm hand reading.

The sensors on the tester even tell you how many strips you have left and in a matter of seconds a new disc can be loaded.

“Flying off a 90ft cliff,  snowboarding down 55 degree couloirs, or just in normal everyday life, the Breeze 2 always delivers a fast
and accurate reading and it lets me get on with what I love, Snowboarding!”

” It also may seem like an extreme way to test the resilience of your blood glucose meter, but my Breeze 2 is still going strong.”

Living the dream

“On or off the slopes, even with diabetes, with the right control, determination, positive outlook and attitude, you can achieve even your wildest dreams. I’m still living mine.”

Melanie Stephenson is young British sprinter, from Gabalfa, Cardiff, with

type 1 diabetes

Melanie, who treats her diabetes with an

insulin pump

, has regularly run for Wales in the 60m, 100m and 200m sprints, picking up a number of national titles.

Diagnosis

Melanie was born in 1998 and developed type 1 diabetes at 13 years old. She initially took up sport as a way to keep healthy and control her

blood glucose levels

but took so well to running that she soon had her trainer to help her compete at a national and international level.

In 2012, Melanie was invited to carry the Olympic torch through Cardiff and past Cardiff Castle.

Melanie was nominated as an Olympic torchbearer by Diabetes UK Cymru in recognition of the voluntary work she has dedicated to the charity.

In addition to her sprinting career, Melanie has studied fashion at the University of Wales, Newport and designs sports performance wear for a number of track and field athletic events.

Diabetes management as an athelete

Melanie has found managing type 1 diabetes within a strict training regime has been a challenge. In her second year at University, Melanie started to become

insulin resistant

and was put onto

metformin

tablets to help the management of her diabetes.

In 2008, she prepared to go onto a pump, which required establishing a strong knowledge and understanding of

carbohydrate counting

Since moving onto the pump, in March 2009, Melanie’s HbA1c (a measure of her overall diabetes control) improved greatly.

Previous to being on the pump, Melanie’s

HbA1c

had been as high as 9.7% but on the pump Melanie has been able to achieve a healthy HbA1c of 6.3% which has made her feel a lot of better and has helped her training.

Melanie is a great inspiration for young sports

people with diabetes

, performing at a top level as well as giving talks and presentations about sport and diabetes to children, parents and to the media.

Team Novo Nordisk is a multi-team organisation of cyclists, runners and triathletes. Their professional cycling team is the first to consist solely of athletes with

type 1 diabetes

They also field Team Type 2, which competes in cycling and running events and is made up exclusively of

type 2 diabetic

athletes.

As well as raising diabetes awareness, Team Novo Nordisk provides an opportunity for development and professional success for promising cyclists and athletes with diabetes.

Team origins

The team was founded in 2005 by two college cyclists, Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge, who both had type 1 diabetes.

Phil is still a Team Novo Nordisk staff member, while VP of Marketing Matt Vogel also lives with diabetes.

Turning professional

The team turned professional in 2008, achieving 45 stage victories in their first year as a professional outfit.

The achievements continued in 2009 when their team of cyclists, who all had type 1 diabetes, won the Race Across America.

In 2012, Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, became the team’s primary sponsor. This was followed up by the team becoming a Professional Continental team in 2013.

The professional team now includes racers such as

Stephen Clancy

and Javier Megias, while Team Novo Nordisk now sports the following teams:

• Pro-Team
• Team Type 2
• Running/Triathlon Team
• Mountain Bike & Cyclocross Team
• Womens
• Junior

While the athletes of Team Novo Nordisk train like any other, they need to consistently monitor and manage their diabetes.  To assist with this, a medical team is always on board to ensure the safety and optimum performance levels on the athletes.

Scott Verplank has been a professional golfer since 1986, winning five PGA Tour events and making two Ryder Cup appearances.

In 2001, the American reached as high as 11th in the World Golf Rankings and was also the first golfer to hit a hole-in-one during the Ryder Cup.

Type 1 diagnosis

Verplank was diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes

when he was nine, lapsing into a coma after feeling sick and missing school for a week.

He had to medicate without the technology that is available now and reportedly started medicating using pork-based

insulin

Nowadays, Verplank uses an insulin pump when walking around the course and attributes his success to regular checking of his

blood sugar levels

In a 2006 interview with Diabetes Health magazine, Verplank said: “Testing is my best remedy to stay on top of my control, and then I adjust my insulin and food to my results while I’m out on the golf course.”

Dealing with adrenaline has always been an issue, which can raise blood sugar levels, and Verplank often injected insulin on the second hole to compensate for an adrenaline rise when teeing off.

Golfing recognition

In 2002, Verplank was awarded with the Ben Hogan Award to an individual who has excelled in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness.

Alongside his wife, Kim, Verplank has also set up the Verplank Foundation which aims to provide the financial ability for young children with type 1 diabetes to pursue a college education.

Damon Dash is a well known and hugely successful American entrepreneur. He is probably best known for his role in the birth of record label Roc-A-Fella Records with co-founder and artist Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter (aka Jay-Z).

Since then he has successfully branched out to developing and running his own film label Roc-A-Fella Films and several clothing and

shoe

lines specialising in hip-hop clothing.

Type 1 diabetes

Damon Dash has Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, he is a committed supporter for the

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

(JDRF).

Additionally he has conducted a number of interviews discussing the condition and its impact on his life most notably Dash made an appearance on the American CNBC show dLife expressing his views of controlling the increasing number of people being diagnosed with

type 2 diabetes

He is an inspiration to many diabetics, particularly with his get up and go attitude, though from reading his biography it would seem this entrepreneur has had several lucky breaks along the way.

Aretha Franklin, commonly known as the ‘Queen of Soul’ is a woman with many talents, known as a singer, song writer and pianist, one thing that isn’t widely known about this artist is that she is diabetic.

Award winner

To date Aretha Franklin has a staggering twenty Grammy Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Grammy and the Living Legend Grammy.

Additionally she has reportedly achieved twenty number one hit singles including ‘Respect’, ‘Say a little prayer’ and ‘Think’.

Type 1 or type 2?

It is unreported whether Aretha Franklin is an

insulin dependent diabetic

However whether it be

type 1

or

type 2

, this legend has not let having the condition interfere with a career stretching over fifty years and should therefore be an inspiration to anyone.

Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan was

diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2011

which she fought against with an

impressive 4 stone loss of weight

after finding out.

The singer, who was born Yvette Marie Stevens in Chicago in 1953, started her career in the funk band Rufus in the early seventies.

The band enjoyed a string of number ones on the American R&B charts and achieved platinum status with the 1974 album Rags to Rufus.

In 1978, Chaka opted to go solo and accomplished success, notably with the 1984 UK one, ‘I Feel for You’.

After spending over 40 years in the music business, Chaka continues to record and perform.

She has sold over 70 million records and amongst her most enduring hits are ‘I Feel for You’, ‘Ain’t Nobody’ and ‘I’m Every Woman’.

Vegan juicing diet key to her weight loss

Showing she can meet any challenge, Chaka Khan successfully battled against

high blood pressure

and type 2 diabetes by losing 60 pounds (4.3 stones or 27kg).

The star puts her impressive weight loss down to cutting out meat and dairy from her diet and

going onto a vegan diet

Her diet

started off with a 4 month juicing diet

before she went back onto solid food.

Chaka cites her granddaughter as being the inspiration for her to lose her excess body weight and

slim down to a healthy BMI

, stating: “[She] was really my first and major influence to lose weight and get healthy so I can be here for her.”

Randy Jackson is best known as a judge on the hit TV series American Idol.

As well as being a

type 2 diabetic

, Jackson is also a Grammy Award winning record producer and himself a musical talent who started performing at the age of 17.

Type 2 diagnosis

Jackson was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2003, but was not overly surprised following his diagnosis as his father from Baton Rouge, Louisiana also had diabetes.

Jackson weighed around 25 stone when he was diagnosed.

This led to him having gastric bypass surgery in 2004 which helped him shed over 100 pounds.

He then worked out a plan of

diet

and

exercise

with his diabetes team to help control his

blood glucose levels

and keep to a healthy weight.

Jackson has also revealed his success through using a portion controlled diet to help manage his diabetes.

Charity work

Jackson was an advocate for the American Heart Association’s campaign named The Heart of Diabetes in 2008.

He has also expressed his concern about cardiovascular disease, which is one of the biggest killers among people with diabetes.

He believes that

celebrities

should use their status to bring awareness to the disease.

The youngest of the Jonas Brothers, Nick, a type 1 diabetic, has used his sudden explosion into the music and movie industry to promote himself as a potential future president of the United States and as a representative for young people with diabetes.

Diabetes talks

He has conducted a number of talks about how he has coped with diabetes as a young adolescent and how he plans to support and represent future diabetes research.

Most recently he has become a diabetes ambassador for Bayer Diabetes Care, in addition to this he as written a book named ‘A Little Bit Longer’ in an attempt to inspire young diabetics to live their lives to the fullest. With the help of his brothers he has founded ‘The Change for the Children Foundation’ and has reportedly given $750,000 to diabetes research and

treatment

Charity events

Nick Jonas has the goal of helping children with diabetes, and has set up the Jonas Brothers Change for the Children Foundation. To celebrate the partnership with Bayer Diabetes Care, the company made a donation to the foundation.

Nick, 17, was diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes

at the age of 13.

He is passionate about sharing his story with other young people with diabetes, because he knows how the condition can cause isolation and even embarrassment.

Nick is taking what he’s learned about diabetes, and passing it on to other people with diabetes.

Nick was reported in diabetes news as commenting: “So many fans with diabetes from all over share their stories and thank me for being an inspiration to them.

Nearly every day I hear from someone like me who says that I make them feel it’s OK to have diabetes and it’s really cool that I can do that. I know I’m lucky because I have a family that encourages me a lot.

I want to give that same inspiration to other kids with diabetes, and working with Bayer lets me do that.”

The Jonas Brothers Change for the Children Foundation donate funds to a variety of causes, including paediatric diabetes research, education and treatment.

Bayer Contour

Nick uses the new



Bayer Contour



meter

to test his blood glucose levels and determine how much insulin he requires to manage his diabetes.

Nick reportedly commented about his CONTOUR meter: “I check my blood sugar level up to 12 times a day so it’s very important that my meter fits with my lifestyle. My new Bayer CONTOUR® meter lets me personalize the settings when I need to test myself before a meal or reminds me to check after a meal depending on my schedule on a specific day.”

Joe Eldridge is a former rider and co-founder of Team Novo Nordisk, the first multi-team organisation of athletes consisting only of people with diabetes.

Eldridge was 10 years old when he was diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes

He told himself that as long as he could manage his diabetes, then he could manage any other ‘normal’ challenges life would throw at him.

This mentality proved valuable. Not only did Eldridge go on to become a professional cyclist, but he helped create an organisation where

diabetes management

is at the forefront of their operation.

Team Novo Nordisk

Eldridge created

Team Novo Nordisk

alongside Phil Southerland, a fellow type 1 diabetic whom he met at Auburn University. The two struck up a close friendship and soon began riding together with a group of cyclists.

Little did they know at the time this group would later field competitive teams of cyclists, triathletes and runners with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Eldridge raced professionally for seven years, retiring in 2014, but not before becoming a United States track national champion (team pursuit, 2012).

Discussing his management on and off the bike, he told

Diabetes.co.uk: “

It is a full-time job to manage your diabetes when you are competing at the highest level of sports, but it requires just as much discipline when you are not competing.

“As a person with diabetes, you constantly have to be adapting to your current situations in order to manage your diabetes well.”

‘Go for it!’

Eldridge spoke at the first-ever

Talking About Diabetes

(TAD) conference in March 2016, and insists that while it takes time to adapt to diabetes management, which “changes all of the time”, there is no reason why people with diabetes can’t follow their desired path in sport.

“No matter what it is you want to do, make a plan and figure out how you can play the sport you want to play.

“It starts with checking blood glucose levels often, working with your healthcare team to figure out

how sport is going to affect those levels

, and then making small adjustments that allow you to compete. Go for it!”

Click

here

for the full Diabetes.co.uk interview with Joe Eldridge.

Bret Michael Sychak, known professionally as Bret Michaels, is famous for being the lead singer of glam metal band Poison.

Poison have sold over 45 million records worldwide, while Michaels has also released a number of solo albums and starred in reality TV shows such as Rock of Love with Bret Michaels.

Michaels was diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes

when he was six, but has never let his condition stop him from what he wanted to do.

Stage management

It was courtesy of a

hypo

at Madison Square Garden following the release of Poison’s first album that Michaels opened up publicly about his type 1 diabetes.

After injecting but failing to eat, Michaels collapsed on stage just six songs into the band’s set. He later woke up in hospital and explained why he passed out.

Michaels normally keeps a supply of orange juice and Gatorade nearby in case his

blood sugar levels

drop, while the band have built two breaks into their set so Michaels can check his blood sugar off stage.

Finding a balance

As a performer who enjoys moving around on stage, Michaels takes a small dose of insulin before performing and doesn’t eat a lot.

While

he drinks alcohol

, he insists that his diabetes is consistently managed and he drinks only in moderation.

“It’s all about maintaining a balance. That’s the weirdest thing for a rock star to say: ‘balance.’ But as a diabetic rock star, it’s been about balance in my life,” Michaels said.

Charity work

Despite suffering a brain haemorrhage in 2010, Michaels won reality TV show The Celebrity Apprentice that year

He pledged his $250,000 award to his charity, the American Diabetes Association.

Gary Hall Jr. is an Olympic gold medallist who represented the United States at swimming in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

He won gold in 2000 and 2004 following a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in 1999.

Swimming career

Following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and uncle, who all competed on the U.S. Olympic

swimming

team, Hall qualified for the 1994 National Swim Team, which then took him to Atlanta for the 1996 Olympic Games.

Hall claimed two silver medals, before his type 1 diagnosis forced him into training and management changes. Through regular

blood glucose testing

and despite enduring crippling fatigue, Hall was able to complete swim practices and gradually increased the length of his work-outs.

Hall eventually worked out for up to eight hours a day, getting out of the water to check his blood glucose levels every 45 minutes.

Hall’s doctors had told him he would never swim again competitively, but in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, he was crowned the fastest swimmer in the world.

He broke his own record in 2004, and by the time he retired from competitive swimming in 2008, he had won 10 Olympic medals, including five gold.

Diabetes research

Hall is a member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JRDF) and travels across the United States to speak at diabetes fund-raisers and advocate new therapies being researched.

He has also testified in front of congress to highlight the need for greater resources in preventing and treating diabetes.

In 2012, Hall was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Mike Huckabee is an American politician who has run for presidency of the United States and was the Governor of Arkansas between 1996 and 2007.

Huckabee was diagnosed with

type 2 diabetes

in 2003, at the age of 47, when he was told by doctors that he probably had another 10 years to live, at most.

Political career

Huckabee lost his first political race to become Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas in 1992, but won the seat in 1993 and held it for three years.

In 1996, Huckabee replaced Jim Guy Tucker as the Governor of Arkansas, while in 1998 and 2002, he was re-elected.

By 2007, Huckabee held the third-longest tenure of any Arkansas Governor.

Huckabee ran in the 2008 presidential electio, but withdrew in March 2008 when he faced losing in Texas and with John McCain set to win the Republican nomination.

In 2015, Huckabee announced that he would be making a second bid to enter the White House in the 2016 presidential election.

Type 2 diagnosis

Huckabee saw his doctor in 2002 with numbness in his arm. He learned afterwards that he was type 2 diabetic and at 280 pounds, he needed to lose weight urgently to reduce his risk of cardiovascular problems.

In 2003, a heart catheterisation came back negative, but Huckabee was told that without lifestyle changes, he may not live another decade.

He undertook a program of weight loss, diet and supplements, losing 100 pounds in the process. Subsequently, Huckabee launched Healthy Arkansas, a health initiative promoting healthier eating, more

exercise

and quitting smoking.