WWHHAT I KNAT I KNOOWW N NOOWW
GROWING UP FAST I was
diagnosed at 3 years old, so Idiabetes. I started to give my-managed my diabetes
with my parents’
help, but [was] on
my own during the day. Th at’s
a lot of pressure to take care of
yourself at such a young age. I
think that really infl uenced me
for the bett er and helped shape
who I am and bring that re-
sponsibility that drive to be
healthy throughout my life.TRYING NEW TECH Th e r e
have been two times that new
technology really made it a lot
easier to manage my diabetes.
Th e fi rst time was when I was
15 and received my very fi rst
insulin pump. My sister and
I both got ours on the same
day because she has type 1
diabetes too. Prior to that,
we were [each] on a strict
schedule; we tried to take in
the same amount of insulin
and eat the same amount of
carbs and calories every day.
But once we got the pump, we
went straight to IHOP and ate
maple syrup and a big pancake
breakfast and had a Coke for
the fi rst time when we weren’t
low. Th at will be one day I will
always remember. Th e second
time was a couple of years agoSuiting UpAmerican Gods star
Derek Theler (seen here as
Thor) was diagnosed with
diabetes at a young age.
But that didn’t stop himfrom fulfi lling his childhood
dream of becoming a
superhero—or at least
playing one on screen.AS TOLD TO MICAELA YOUNGwhen my sister turned me on
to the Dexcom G5 system. I
noticed an instant diff erence.
Before Dexcom, I was always
running higher because I was
so scared to get low blood
sugars at night, so my A1C was
constantly high. Now I’m using
the G6 system and, at this
point, I honestly can’t imagine
working and living without it.SWITCHING CAREERS I got
my [bachelor’s] degree at Col-
orado State in sports medicine
and nutrition, and that was
initially because I wanted to
learn as much as I could about
my body and diabetes and how
I could help others. I was in-
terested in going into endocri-
nology at the time. But I took a
trip to Los Angeles during my
senior year of college and met
some people in [show] busi-
ness and I made up my mind
right then and there to move to
LA and put it all on the line to
become a superhero.LIVING THE DREAM I’m
really proud that we shot a
Marvel pilot for [proposed
TV series] New Warriors and
I got to play a superhero, Mr.
Immortal. Th at was one of the
proudest moments of my life:
to get to the point where I’m
a certifi ed Marvel superhero,
wearing my insulin pump
and my Dexcom underneath
my suit. Th at’s the message I
want PWDs to grab onto and
realize that they can make their
dreams come true as well.EMPOWERING OTHERS
When I was a kid, my sister
and I realized that we didn’t
have a community of people
who also had type 1 diabetes.
Th ere wasn’t anyone in the
limelight who talked about it. It
kind of seemed like an isolating
disease. And that’s something
I want to help change with my
career. I want to do what I can
to build that community and
speak openly to be the per-
son that others can relate to. I’ll
speak to anyone about diabetes
who wants to listen.Inspire