Inspiring Australians living with T1D
Living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) comes with some challenges, but it doesn’t have to define or limit your potential. Here are just a few inspiring famous Aussies who have thrived in their chosen careers, showing that T1D is no barrier to success.
From athletes to entertainers, what all of these people have in common is that they have shown remarkable determination to manage their T1D and go on to achieve their dreams.
Also check out our international celebs with T1D.
1. Sarah Klau, netballer
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Sydney Swifts and Australian Diamonds goal keeper, Sarah, is known as one of the top defenders in the Super Netball league. She was diagnosed with T1D in her early twenties, and says she is waiting until after her professional sporting career before she starts using a pump.
She told as1diabetes that, although she has found carb counting and constantly thinking about her levels has been mentally draining, she wants “to show others that it’s possible to do the things you enjoy most, despite having diabetes.”
Watch a video on how Sarah manages her T1D while training and playing netball.
2. Paddy McCartin, AFL player
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Former AFL player for the Sydney Swans, 28-year-old Paddy says diabetes has never stopped him from pursuing the sport he loves. Paddy credits having a positive diabetes management plan with being able to play football at such a high level and keep up the rigorous training program of a professional athlete.
Paddy told Diabetes Australia, “Being transparent with doctors and having a positive plan for when I have lows and highs is something I am proud of. I’m not 100% great at it all the time, I’m like any person with diabetes, I have highs and lows and I have at times struggled with it.”
3. Bambi Northwood-Blyth, international model
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Known for her iconic eyebrows and blue eyes, Bambi, 33, is instantly recognisable for her frequent appearances in the media and for retail brands like Calvin Klein and Aje. Despite wanting to hide her T1D when she was first diagnosed at the age of 12 and thinking of her future as “daunting”, Bambi now uses her platform to raise awareness about the issues people with T1D face.
“Diabetes has made me appreciate how much my body does for me, and what I would otherwise take for granted,” she shared with her fans. “I have had diabetes for my entire career as an international model, and it hasn’t once stopped me from walking runways, doing photo shoots, TV shows and campaigns.”
4. Stephanie Ratcliffe, hammer thrower
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Australian hammer thrower and Harvard graduate Stephanie has just competed at her first Olympics in Paris, where she placed 15th. The 23-year-old was diagnosed with T1D when she was six years old. Her father David told Diabetes Australia that although being the parent of a child with diabetes can be challenging, there are no boundaries when it comes to what can be achieved.
“Stephanie has graduated with a Harvard degree in neuroscience and is currently achieving a 4.0 GPA while completing her Master’s in Business Analytics at the University of Georgia,” he wrote.
“We’d like children living with T1D and their parents to know that while this condition comes with challenges to get to her level, type 1 will not stop you achieving your dreams.”
5. Marcia Hines, singer and TV personality
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Singer and Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines, 71, has been a mainstay of the Australian show biz scene since the US-born singer arrived in Australian to perform in the stage musical of Hair at the age of 16. She went on to have a string of hit songs and then moved to television. Her T1D became a talking point when she was absent from Australian Idol’s grand finale episode due to a head injury, which she sustained when she collapsed in her dressing room before the show.
“Before I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, my health and my body felt brilliant, but I wasn’t eating properly,” she told Now To Love. “I wasn’t sick, but I had a procedure done on one of my teeth and it just wouldn’t heal – it just kept throbbing for days. I went to the doctor and that was when I was diagnosed with diabetes.”
Marcia said she manages her condition with insulin injections and insisted, “I could have a lot worse things than just diabetes.”
6. Jack Perkins, motor racing driver
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Supercar driver Jack Perkins, 37, was diagnosed with T1D in his early racing career, and says he kept his diabetes a secret for over a year because he was scared the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) would strip him of his competition licence, after his doctor told him he wouldn’t be able to race. He even resorted to using someone else’s urine sample for a medical exam, but eventually realised he didn’t want to hide it any more.
“I went to get my CAMS licence the next year and instead of ticking the box that said no [I don’t have diabetes], I ticked yes,” Jack told Motorsport. “When they said ‘well you probably can’t race’ I said ‘well I’ve just proven that I can, here’s how, why’. After four or five weeks of rebuttal from CAMS I put them in a corner and they couldn’t really move.
“I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do, but it’s not easy, and it’s not something I take lightly.”
Read more of Jack’s story and how he manages racing and T1D in our free book, Straight to the Point (pages 134-135).
7. April Welsh, motor racing driver
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April Welsh, 34, was the first female to race in the Formula Vee class with T1D. She was diagnosed at the age of three, and told My Lazy Pancreas that her life motto is, “Control diabetes; don’t let your diabetes control you.” She says it’s important to never be afraid to ask for help.
“Living with diabetes and other health issues has taught me how to be resilient and appreciate the wins,” she told JDRF. “But one of the biggest things I do for my mental health is to be kind to myself. Not every day is going to be great but that’s okay.
8. Rob Palmer, TV presenter
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Rob is best known for his do-it-yourself segments on several Channel 7 lifestyle shows, including a 15-year stint on Better Homes and Gardens, and he also went on to win the 10th season of Dancing With The Stars. The 49-year-old is now a radio presenter on Triple M Central Coast.
“My schedule has changed massively over the years, and the challenge is making your diabetes move with you. YOU are the boss of T1D,” Rob told JDRF. “Mates help a lot with that – they’re so important, especially with diabetes!
“There’s been times when I was filming Better Homes and Gardens and still doing MDI [multiple daily injection therapy] that I’d hit the deck, and people came running from everywhere to give me a can of drink, hold my head up and stop me falling off the cliff.”
9. Lara McSpadden, basketballer
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Sydney Flames and Australian Opals star Lara, 25, has played internationally for 10 years, and says she hasn’t let T1D get in the way of her sporting goals. She was already a sporty kid when she was diagnosed at the age of seven.
“Having type 1 can make things more difficult,” she told Diabetes WA. “When you’re playing overseas, and you have language barriers and you’re not familiar with the medical support systems like we have in Australia, it is something that you can stress about.
“But I don’t think it’s really got in the way of what I’ve been able to achieve on an international level. I’ve just had the mindset that I would always have done this, regardless of whether I had diabetes or not.”
10. Sam Reid, AFL player
Sam Reid grew up around AFL, with his dad being a player and a coach, so progressing to professional football felt like a natural progression. He was drafted to the Western Bulldogs in 2007, and was playing in his second year when he was diagnosed with T1D, as he was recovering from major groin surgery. The 34-year-old went on to play 108 games, mostly for Greater Western Sydney, which he joined in 2011.
Sam says that thinking about when to eat, how much insulin he needs, whether he’s drunk enough, and how long he’ll be away from home can be mentally taxing, not only on him but also on those around him. He says having a Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) has been a life changer.
“I now have a two-year-old son, Elijah, who keeps me busy, so to be able to give him all my attention and not worry about doing finger-pricks and having to leave him for a bit to test my blood glucose levels makes a huge difference in how our time is spent,” he told Men’s Health.
11. Rod Kafer, retired rugby union player
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Former Australian Wallaby and ACT Brumby Rod, 53, is now a rugby union commentator for Fox Sports, and has a weekly segment on Rugby HQ called ‘Fox Field’. Rod was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 15.
“Not a day goes by without me wishing I did not have to have an injection, do a blood test, eat for the sake of eating or recover from the inevitable hypo,” Rod said. “Diabetes can either be a detriment to your life or an enhancer – everyone makes that choice.”
Read more:
- Hailey’s story: diagnosed with T1D at 7 months
- Peter’s 60 year + journey with T1D
- Jenna and Giulia: ‘Mum’s been there from the second I was diagnosed’
