Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been sharing his experiences with Type 1 diabetes in a series of Web videos that debuted in October, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The newspaper previewed the fourth installment of the video series, set to debut later this month, and the final two were produced by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, for which Cutler is a spokesman.
Cutler said in the latest video, as reported by the Tribune:
The worst thing imaginable is to get really low and pass out in the middle of a play or in the huddle or something. I think that would scare a lot of people—not only myself, but fans and the public in general. We try to avoid it as much as possible but it’s still a reality.
Living with diabetes in the public eye, it makes it harder. There is no real room for error. Every day I have to be on. If I go out and have a bad game and my numbers are way off, I’m going to get criticized for it. I can get real low and not know exactly what’s going on and get hit the wrong way and hurt myself. There are definitely dangers out there.
I’d love to use my story to inspire kids who get diabetes at four or five years old and they think it’s the end of the world, they can’t have dreams or do what they want to do in life. It’s entirely false.
And Cutler told the Tribune in an interview:
It was a very personal battle so I needed to take some time. I knew there would be a time when I would want to do something, especially with kids. It’s hard enough growing up these days without having to worry about an insulin pump or pricking your finger. I wanted those kids to know I was like them.
I miss a lot of foods. I used to love desserts. I miss sweet tea, lemonade. Do I ever cheat? Yes, I do. Reese’s peanut-butter cups are my cheating food.
