Eoghan Quinn – Type 1 Diabetes as an Enabler, Kite Surfing from France to Ireland & the hunt for a Bionic Pancreas! – EP123
Season 3
Episode 123

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

** Excuse Typos **  Eoghan Quinn came to my attention a couple of months back. For a couple of reasons.
  • He gained nationwide news coverage as he was attempting to kite surf from France to Ireland (227 miles or 295 nautical miles)
  • 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 beliefs Topics covered:
  • One of his first memories was when he was Diagnosed at the age of 4
  • 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 limits
    • Bike Riding from Ireland to Gaza – 180km a day over 5000km
    • Bike 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:

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