Dana Young: Dexcom Warrior

NOT JUST AN AVERAGE MARATHON

Dana Young shares how becoming an ultra-marathon runner started with a run with the buggy.

Being active has always been a significant part of my life. I was deeply involved in rowing during my school years, a very competitive sport that many Kiwis will be familiar with. I remember our training to be rigorous, involving crosscountry skiing and running. After giving birth to my first child, I decided that I wanted to focus on my running. So it all started with me simply running with him in a buggy and then participating in 10K events. After the birth of my second child, I ran a full marathon, and following my third I ventured into ultramarathons. This year, I completed a 105K ultra. It’s been a challenging yet rewarding journey, juggling my passion for running with my role as a mother.

DIAGNOSIS

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes over 30 years ago, when I was seven years old. At such a young age, I vividly remember the shock of my diagnosis. I had the classic symptoms, from being really thirsty, not being able to eat, to losing a lot of weight. My mum actually had to restrict my water intake as I was constantly waking up at night to go to the toilet.

After realising that something may be wrong with me, I was eventually hospitalised for about a week. This is where the reality of lifelong diabetes management began, with learning how to inject myself with insulin. Initially, it was a challenge; my parents had to chase me around the house just to administer my insulin.

Back when I was first diagnosed, diabetes management was different. You’d go to your doctor, they’d tell you how much insulin to give yourself, the amount of food you need to be eating, and you’d follow this routine every day until your next appointment ,when they’d reassess things and then provide further modifications to your routine.

At the beginning, my attitude towards my diabetes was quite negative. As a child, my blood sugar levels were often high, and my doctor back then would tell me and my parents about potential blindness and limb loss. Of course, this left us overwhelmed and fearful. As I grew older, this fear led me to disassociate from my condition, and for about 15 years I largely ignored the recommended diabetes care plan.

DISCOVERING TECH

But everything changed when I became pregnant with my first child. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about me anymore – I had to take care of my health for the sake of my child. This was when I started going back to my appointments. During one of my pregnancies, I started using an insulin pump, which I found to be more manageable and less intrusive than multiple daily injections.

As I continued to challenge myself with my running journey, advancing to longer distances, it became clear to me that the frequent injections were not effective in managing my blood sugar. I began to research for other options and decided on an insulin pump, which I now use with my Dexcom G6.

Using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology has made a significant difference in managing my diabetes. With finger prick tests, you typically only get a snapshot of your blood sugar at one point in time. Then if you check again five minutes later, you might see it rising or falling again, and this is not a very accurate reading.

CGM has changed all of that. I love how it tracks my glucose levels in real time, and on my phone I can see the arrows going up and down. Ultimately, it gives me a sense of assurance and control, especially when I’m going out for a run. Without it, you might get out of the door, then 1km later, your sugar drops. But with a CGM, you can see and predict these changes from the start, which is incredibly empowering.

PUBLIC AWARENESS

I think there needs to be education around the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. There can be a stigma associated around type 2 diabetes, and it can be misunderstood as a lifestyle disease. People also often don’t understand that type 1 is an autoimmune disease and not caused by eating a lot of sugar. I find people can get confused about why I need to eat sugar if my blood sugar reading is low.

The advice I’d give someone recently diagnosed with diabetes is simple – just keep living your life. Continue doing what you love, as it’s very important to maintain your passions and activities.

When I was first diagnosed, it was daunting to hear about going blind or losing limbs. But look at me today, none of that has happened, and I’ve been able to accomplish some pretty incredible things in my life.

If there is something I want to do, I never think I can’t do that because of my diabetes. Instead, I plan and figure out how to manage my diabetes around it. I don’t want my diabetes to define or limit my life.

When I was first diagnosed, it was daunting to hear about going blind or losing limbs. But look at me today, none of that has happened and I’ve been able to accomplish some pretty incredible things in my life.