BY MICHAEL THORNTON
PUMPING UP WITH DIABETES
BY MICHAEL THORNTON
Throughout my life , I have always been an athlete and competitor . I grew up playing soccer which provided me with the opportunity to train , travel , and compete with several of the world ' s best youth soccer teams including Real Madrid , Manchester City , AC Milan , and Paris Saint-Germain . My soccer journey eventually led me to Spain where I arrived as a teenager with no understanding of the language or culture . I only had two suitcases and the support of my family in order to follow my dream of becoming a professional soccer player . I was the first Canadian ever to have been offered a contract at Real Madrid ’ s Youth Academy in Spain and I was set on making it to the first team . It was an incredible experience and an environment where I would train on a field next to the first team facility where legends of the game including Cristiano Ronaldo , Gareth Bale , and Sergio Ramos were situated .
I continued my athletic career internationally until I became limited by citizenship and travel restrictions which were further complicated by the pandemic . Inspired by my love for sports , I eventually decided to pursue a career in physiotherapy where I was able to continue my education while also competing as a dual varsity athlete in both soccer and track and field . Physiotherapy is a career where I can help others live an active , injury free , and healthy lifestyle . Previously , I attended the University of Memphis where I received a full soccer scholarship and studied business management . I enjoyed the educational aspect of university but also realized that I needed the competition component as an athlete since it became part of my identity . When my eligibility for varsity athletics expired , I felt empty inside and I needed a personal goal to work towards that could bring me joy and excitement . Upon deep reflection of my enjoyment of off-season workouts combined with a knowledge base of nutrition and exercise science from my Kinesiology undergraduate degree and a desire to participate in a more autonomous activity , I decided to pursue the sport of bodybuilding .
My drive to become a professional athlete has kept me physically fit and strong so building muscle was something I was used to doing . Squeezing in my workout programs after class , preparing my meal plans and dealing with exams was always difficult but the hardest part of my journey was managing my type 1 diabetes . Type 1 diabetes is a chronic ( life-long ) autoimmune disease that prevents the pancreas from making insulin and requires constant day-to-day care and management which I never can get a break from . I have been living with this disease since I was 6 years old so I am used to calculating carbohydrates to insulin ratios , being on a strict diet and testing my glucose levels multiple times a day . I now wear a Tandem insulin pump and the Dexcom continuous glucose monitor ( CGM ) which has made living with diabetes a lot easier . An insulin pump is a small computerized medical device that delivers insulin through a thin tube that goes under my skin and the CGM continually tracks my glucose ( sugar ) levels to let me know where I am at and where my glucose levels are heading so I can adjust accordingly .