What if you had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child?
What if you had to manage this disease for years with continual blood testing and endless insulin shots?
What if you decided to work your way into becoming an athlete while battling this disease? Furthermore, what if you put your struggles on your back and became an athlete competing at the highest national and international levels?
This is what athletes on Team Novo Nordisk do.
The Team Type 1 Foundation (TT1) is a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia that strives to instill hope and empowerment in those battling Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Recently, the Team Type 1 Foundation announced plans for 2015 that include an expanded Global Ambassador Scholarship Program which will up the number of scholarships available to collegiate athletes in the U.S. with type 1 diabetes, and a new outreach platform in Rwanda to increase access to medicine and management tools for people living with diabetes. With COO Marc O’ Connor on the Board of Directors, Curant Health has personally witnessed the amount of strength and inspiration this organization evokes.
TT1 was the first organization to create a professional cycling team to include athletes with type 1 diabetes. This team evolved into a world-class cycling program and eventually expanded to become Team Novo Nordisk in 2013. With a program consisting of over 100 elite cyclists, runner and triathletes with diabetes, Team Novo Nordisk has brought an unprecedented global awareness to T1D.
While other world class cyclists need to worry about preparing for a race and eating for energy, Team Novo Nordisk riders must keep their diabetes management at the forefront before, during and after the event. All of the riders have T1D, including members Kevin De Mesmaeker and Charles Planet, who stepped on the podium at the Amgen Tour of California. Kevin had a breakaway podium finish on Stage 4 and Charles won the Most Courageous Cyclist Jersey on Stage 1. They are making the impossible possible and are an inspiration to not only all T1Ds, but to all people who refuse to allow their chronic condition to slow them down.
The Team Novo Nordisk athletes are heroes, they are inspirational, and Curant Health is proud to be associated with them.
Curant Health is invested in enabling diabetics to thrive under the conditions of their illness by acting as a member of patients’ extended care teams. A recent study conducted by Curant Health pharmacists compared medication adherence rates for patients with diabetes in Georgia. When patients who received their medications from a retail pharmacy were compared with those who used Curant Health’s enhanced pharmacy services and received the support of personal care coordinators, medication adherence rates were 35% higher for Curant Health patients. Increased adherence makes it possible for more patients to live as Team Type 1 and Team Novo Nordisk athletes do: by overcoming barriers and living beyond the limitations of a chronic condition.
Want to learn more about what Curant Health is doing to help patients successfully manage diabetes? Contact Bernis Gabelman, Market Development Manager at 866-437-8040 ext. 262.
Marc O’Connor – Curant Health
Phil Southerland – Founder Team Type 1