Transcript – Phil Southerland
Phil
My name is Phil Southerland and I am the founder of Team Type 1. When I'm racing down a hill on my bike, it's my chance to be free.
I have fun when I ride. I've always loved to ride. I will always love to ride. It's my greatest joy in life.
My first diabetes memory, I was six years old and at a birthday party so I asked my mom if I could have cake and she said, "Sure, just do your shot" and I said, "I don't want to do my shot."
Joanne
You know, if you eat cake, when you don't know what your blood sugar is, and then make your blood sugar go a lot higher, those are the types of things that can cause damage to your body, long term.
Phil
And I was scared and so I asked for my shot.
Joanne
That was a moment in Phil's life that stuck with him.
Phil
Hi mom, love you.
Joanne
Hi Phil, have a great race.
Phil
My main support and caregiver was my mom. She definitely taught me to appreciate the tools and technology in the diabetes world, eating healthy was part of life; exercise was a part of life and checking my blood sugar, doing my shots.
Joanne
At the time when he was diagnosed, we were so afraid that he was gonna die. There's a lot of fears with diabetes.
Phil
My mom encouraged me to play sports and it was something that I loved to do. I loved the camaraderie of the team. And if I wanted to be good in the sports that I was playing, then I had to take care of my diabetes.
Joanne
Phil likes to win and if you're going to win, you have to have your blood sugar in control. I mean, you have to maintain some type of a balance. He struggled with that balance when he first started the cycling.
Phil
This bike here, it's probably one of the best out there on the market right now.
When I go out to race a bike, I show up with the best technology so that there's no advantage that I don't have on a bike.
I feel special because it's got my name on it. That when you know you've made it in the cycling world.
Similarly, with diabetes, I want the best technology. I check my blood sugar, I do my shots, I eat right, I exercise and I try to learn from the day before so that I can make tomorrow a better day.
Since starting on Apidra, I've noticed how quickly it works in getting my blood sugars down. At first my blood sugars were running a little bit lower then normal and then I cut my Basal Rates 15% and my blood sugars were where I want ‘em to be.
Joanne
When Phil and I go out to dinner now, we don't have to say, "Oh, what's your blood sugar? Maybe we should wait 45 minutes before you eat."
Phil
Now with the flexible mealtime dosing that Apidra provides, I can take Apidra within 15 minutes before or within 20 minutes after I start eating. It might not seem like a big deal, but with my lifestyle and the constant adjustments I have to make, it is a big deal. Apidra is a very crucial part of my overall health plan but by no means the only part. To eat right, exercise, it's a 365 day-a-year job. That's 24 hours a day. You never get a vacation.
Not good number. Need sugar.
The diabetes team which you have around is very important whether it's family members, doctors, educators. I'm in a fortunate situation where my bike team mates are also my diabetes team mates. And if you're having problems, you know ask the team mates, you got 12 of the best cycling with diabetes resources in the world sitting in this room.
We want to make our stamp even at the professional level. Now thanks to the Apidra team, they're giving us the chance to get to the Tour de France. In cycling that's the pinnacle and to be able to get there would just be a dream come true.
