YD Community Blog

On Monday, June 30, 2008, Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr., held a press conference to discuss his experiences as  a Type I diabetic athlete. YoungDiabetics. Org was lucky enough to participate and would like to share Mr. Hall’s insight into life with this disease. Highlights from the Q and A sessions are found below.

Hall competed in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Olympic Games, winning a total of 10 medals. His gold medal achievement in 2000 was a victory in more ways than one. Hall was diagnosed with Type I diabetes in 1999 and was told his body would no longer be able to endure the rigors of Olympic training.

Hall proved his doctors wrong. But his diagnosis did not come without worry. He explains, “I was terrified…I think that’s pretty common when you’re diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening disease…fear of the unknown”. Confidence came with learning and living his illness. He also received tremendous support from the community, which was of great help to him.

When swimming, Hall checks his blood sugar up to 20 times per day.  On a day “where everything is going perfect,” he may only monitor his sugar 5 times. It is crucial to remember, “this is a disease of adjustments.”

Hall advocates regular exercise and a healthy diet for diabetes management. His daily six to eight hours of training, however, can sometimes send his body into hypoglycemic reaction. Diabetes has required Hall to be completely attune to his physical cues; when he feels a certain sensation in his arm hair, he knows he’s about to “go low in the pool.”  The athlete recommends all diabetic swimmers check blood sugar after 45 minutes in the water.

Above all, Hall advocates that diabetes sufferers should not be ashamed of this disease. He encourages young people to share their stories and to reach out to one another. He is the recipient of the first and only USA Swimming Humanitarian Award for his work on behalf of diabetes awareness. Hall is also a spokesperson for Eli Lilly’s “Be Inspired by Diabetes Program,” and serves as a celebrity representative for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.