When “Baby Daddy” TV star Derek Theler was a child living in Alaska, he had to go to the bathroom constantly.
Between this and an insatiable thirst, his parents realized he needed to get checked out. Theler was later diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a disease that afflicts more than 1.25 million Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association. Known also as juvenile diabetes, since it often arises in childhood, the condition prevents the pancreas from producing enough insulin — or any at all.
As if Theler’s diagnosis wasn’t scary enough, his younger sister developed the chronic disease, too.
“Being a Type 1 diabetic is a full-time job,” says Theler, who relies on an insulin pump 24/7. “No matter how diligent you are about managing your blood sugar, you’re gonna have times where something goes wrong.” He’s had moments on set where his blood sugar gets so low he can’t remember his lines and even slurs his words.
When shooting a movie in South Africa a-year-and-a-half ago, he had to teach himself how to live without an insulin pump and give himself injections of the key hormone. The movie required him to shoot in the open ocean water for five days straight.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and Theler wants those with the disease to know that they can live healthy, full lives, and that diabetes shouldn’t slow them down.
” … As long as you’re responsible,” he says, “it’s a very manageable disease.”
Now 29, Theler is using his fame to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes, including advocating for new technologies designed to help patients better manage the condition, such as continuous glucose monitoring systems that allow patients to closely monitor blood sugar levels without finger-prick tests.
His advocacy began in childhood, when Theler and his sister would participate in Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation fundraising walks.
Since then, he has tried to be as involved as he can. Wanting to better understand his disease and find ways to help research or eventually cure it, Theler pursued a pre-medical education at Colorado State University and got his degree in sports medicine and nutrition. As he approached completing his degree, he decided it would be more fun to play a doctor on TV, and to live different lives and act like they’re his own.
It’s clear that his real-life role is just as much a challenge, but one he’s up to tackling.
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‘Baby Daddy’ Star Derek Theler Talks Type 1 Diabetes originally appeared on usnews.com
