Eoghan Quinn - Type 1 Diabetes as an Enabler, Kite Surfing from France to Ireland & the Hunt for a Bionic Pancreas! - EP123

Eoghan Quinn came to my attention a couple of months back. For a couple of reasons. 1)He gained nationwide news coverage as he was attempting to kite surf from France to Ireland (227 miles or 295 nautical miles)2)Like me, he’s a type 1 diabetic and is keen to show the disease can be an enabler, not a disabler. I was delighted to get him onto the podcast to talk about both in detail and a whole lot beside. As you’ll hear, Eoghan is a very focused and motivated guy, keen to keep healthy, fit, not be held back by Type 1 diabetes and even more driven to inspire other Type 1 diabetics to do more and not be held back by limiting beliefsTopics covered:•One of his first memories as he was Diagnosed at the age of 4 and managing the disease ever since •Remembering the panic in his mother’s eyes knowing they were going into a whole new world•No history of type diabetes in the family •Becoming a Coeliac at the age of 5 which added to the complexity •Recalling his first diabetic testing kit •Having a great doctor that supported Eoghan all the way through Primary School •Always being active and leading a full life all the way •Sometimes trying to ignore being a diabetic but changing the mindset and embracing the disease •Dealing with the stigma around being a diabetic and overcoming the shame •The psychological element of being a diabetic •Embracing the technology and having a huge impact once doing this•The Insulin pump being a life changing device •Testing the body and testing the boundaries you can do as a Type 1 diabetic •Realizing that Type 1 Diabetes is not your fault •The impact being of a high glucose, acting fidgety and tired •Turing Type 1 Diabetes into an Enabler •Becoming addicted to challenges to push the limitsoBike Riding from Ireland to Gaza – 180km a day over 5000kmoBike Racing from Melbourne to Sydney in support of Aboriginal healthcare and diabetes•Life expectancy without Insulin & having to pay for insulin in some countries•The challenge of travelling with work as a Type 1 diabetic – the insulin pump works great for this •The preparation into Planning to Kite Surf taking 8 months•As the planning got deeper, the challenge became more and more real•Getting support from Diabetes Ireland and other big brands•Kite Surfing and the challenges of being a Type 1 diabetic •Sending a positive message to other Type 1 diabetics that they can achieve whatever they want •Using the Abbott Free Style Libre and the Insulin Pump to manage his diabetes •Support from Ballycotton Sea Adventures •Working with a Support team who are essential to the success •Setting sail at the end of June but just failing short due to adverse weather conditions •Managing the blood sugars during the challenge and keeping the level between 10 and 11 readings •Planning for everything and controlling everything but the Weather•Arriving into Cork meeting with 60-80 other Type 1 Diabetics and feelings great about the challenge •Raising the awareness for Type 1 Diabetes by doing this challenge •Research into new technology and advances like the bionic pancreases •Learning about the ‘closed-loop’ artificial pancreases creator in the US and looking to get on the clinical trials here•Edward Dimanino motivated to work on a solution after his son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes•Not expecting a cure of T1D ever but looking at technology as a management tool •Huge advances expected in the next 5 years •If you could listen to anyone in a podcast interview – Getting inside the head of a Manager of a Gaelic Football or Hurling Team •Future Challenges & Plans! To Connect with Eoghan and find out more:•Croke Park in November – Event Type 1 Diabetes •Twitter – @EoghanQuinn1 •Instagram - @EoghanQuinn1•LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoghan-quinn-59b15437/