Team Type 2-Sanofi is a team of cyclists and athletes comprised of men and women with type 2 diabetes
Team Type 2 is part of the Team Type 1 organisation and formed in 2009.
Similar to Team Type 1 , the mission behind Team Type 2 is to show that type 2 diabetes is a controllable illness and presents no barrier for sporting or life success.
Members of Team Type 2
The range of ages in Team Type 2 varies from Rebecca Furuta, who in 2012 is 34 years old, to Saul Zuckman who, at 72 years of age, is more than twice her age.
Within Team Type 2 is Thomas Chang, who had been a cycling road race and high hurdle champion through the early eighties.
At 41 years old, Thomas was over 15 stone and received a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes but is now aiming to complete some of the most challenging cycling courses around.
From denial to diabetes control
Edward Tepper, a 60 year old male part of the Team Type 2 found accepting his type 2 diabetes to be difficult
He said “I have a friend who is fond of saying that ‘Denial is not a river in Egypt.’ I was definitely swimming in that river for a couple of years and I took my family with me.”
However, Edward came to accept his diabetes and since starting medication and cycling seriously, his blood glucose levels improved and cut his HbA1c (a measure of longer term blood glucose control) from 7.4% down to 5.9%.
When asked what he would advise to someone newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, he replied:”Lear, lear, learn everything there is about it. Read books. Join a support group. No matter how you do it, do it.”
