Although no one would wish for a diagnosis of diabetes, Drew Harrisberg is as good a poster boy as you will find. Diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of 23, Drew, who studied sport science and has a degree in exercise physiology, feels a responsibility to educate the public about diabetes, both management and misconceptions:
“As a qualified health professional, I can combine my experience of successfully managing and being able to live a great life with diabetes, with the science to back it up. I went back to university to become a diabetes educator because I’m so passionate about it- I could talk about it all day.”
Drew explains that in Type I diabetes, the pancreas stops producing insulin due to an auto-immune attack, while in Type 2, insulin is still produced but the body builds up a resistance to it. This distinction is deceptively simple though, because Type II may require the injection of insulin as well, if the pancreas loses its capability to produce insulin independently. Further, the signs across the different Types are often the same, e.g. high blood sugar level, but the reason they manifest is different.
Drew admits that until you learn to manage it, living with diabetes is a lot more complex than injections:
“With Type I diabetes, you have to give a dose of insulin at every meal. This means calculating how many carbohydrates, proteins and fats are in the meal and learning, through experimentation, how that meal will affect your blood sugar and which dose is right for you. You must do that multiple times a day, and inject basal dose (or two!) which sits in your system for longer (12 to 24 hours). You have to plan ahead and understand the power of what you are injecting.”.
While a high sugar diet is a major contributor to the development of Type II diabetes, there is a misconception that excess sugar is also to blame for Type I diabetes. Drew’s concern is that this belief ignores the strong genetic factor involved in both Type I and Type II; the reality, he stresses, is everyone is at risk:
“I developed diabetes at 23, while a cousin of mine was diagnosed at 65.”
His symptoms were:
- Severe abnormal tiredness
- Unquenchable thirst
- Waking up multiple times a night to urinate
- Weight loss (even in people classified as obese) because the nutrients can’t get into the cells, so the sugar and glucose stays in the bloodstream and isn’t stored.
Drew is astonished by findings that people with Type I diabetes are among the most sedentary in the world. He believes it stems from fear that exercise will cause a drop in blood pressure and a seizure will follow. He wants to clear up the misconception that exercise is dangerous:
“Exercise is medicine. As an exercise physiologist knowing the health benefits, it saddens me that people are turning away from exercise. If people exercise in conjunction with insulin injections, it is a perfectly safe activity.”
Indeed, Drew has gone the opposite way, becoming an official Fitbit ambassador and a contender on Australia Ninja Warrior, an experience he used to prove to himself he can overcome the toughest of obstacles. In addition, he has recently taken on a role as ambassador for Diabetes NSW.
Drew’s passion for health is most evident when he suggests tips for diabetes prevention:
- Matching carbohydrate intake with activity level – while carbohydrates are an important fuel for the body, we have a very limited ability to store carbohydrates, and we store it is in our muscles and liver as glycogen. When we overeat carbohydrates, we go past storage capacity.
- Sleep- helps protect against insulin resistance
- Stress management; and,
- Exercise
He uses the analogy of muscles as sponges to describe the benefits of exercise:
“The more exercise you do, the more you will soak up sugar in the bloodstream. These days ‘high-intensity’ is a buzz word, but a low-intensity work is fantastic for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Walking, particularly after a meal. is a great way to stabilise your blood sugar’s response”.
With Diabetes Australia describing it as ‘the fastest growing chronic condition’ in the country affecting 1.7 million people, Drew is doing his part to educate people through Facebook, Instagram and his website ‘Drew’s Daily Dose’. He uses his platform to document his personal journey successfully managing diabetes and combining this with evidence-based scientific research. He wishes to promote the message that everyone has the power to either prevent or manage diabetes through the lifestyle choices we make. Drew calls on the Government to heighten their involvement in educating people about the benefits of getting active, the effect our food choices have on our body and the importance of understanding our genetic predisposition.
His online popularity is testament to his standing in the community as a role model, particularly in the field of diabetes. His positive outlook on life serves as great encouragement to people struggling with their diagnosis:
“Diabetes has empowered me to live a healthier life, take care of my health and focus on my five 5 pillar approach to life (mindfulness, exercise, blood sugar and insulin control, daily living and nutrition). I was always passionate about physiology and health promotion, but diabetes gave me an added mission and purpose in life.”
