Petra

I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 27. The first few years were not easy, but gradually, diabetes and I learned how to live together. I learned to listen to my body, work with insulin and, most importantly, understand that diabetes doesn’t have to mean giving up the things I love.

Sport has always been a big part of my life. With diabetes, though, everything is a little more complicated. Every type of activity affects my blood glucose differently, and over time I’ve learned how to manage my diabetes during all kinds of sports – from canicross and long trail runs to triathlon, climbing, bouldering, mountain adventures up to 4,000 metres above sea level and various outdoor multi-sport events.

And sometimes these activities are really long – for example, trail races of more than 50 km with around 3,500 metres of elevation gain. Every sport, every intensity and every day can be different. And I think that’s one of the hardest things about living with diabetes – there is no single formula that works every time. For canicross and climbing, I use a harness. A traditional tubed insulin pump simply wasn’t an ideal solution for me. I didn’t want the technology I rely on for my treatment to limit me when I was doing the sports I love.

And then came Medtrum pump. Tubeless, without unnecessary restrictions, and with the freedom to keep doing what I love. For me, Medtrum wasn’t just a change of insulin pump. It took both my everyday life with diabetes and my sporting life to the next level.

Today, I know that diabetes is a part of my life, but it doesn’t have to define its limits. And I definitely don’t plan to stop pushing my own boundaries.