Veteran Sportscaster Mike Golic Interviews Former Athletes About Living with Diabetes to Encourage People to Create a Personalized "Playbook" for Wellness

MALVERN, Pa., Jan. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LifeScan, a world leader in blood glucose monitoring, has teamed up with former professional football player and prolific sports commentator Mike Golic to launch Talking Type You, a new campaign designed to encourage open conversation among people with diabetes about the realities of managing the condition and empower them to create a personalized management plan that fits their specific needs.

Golic, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 17 years ago, knows firsthand that diabetes management can be challenging and, for many, includes trial and error to find the right plan. To illustrate this, he interviewed former professional athletes John Kruk and Kyle Love, who also live with diabetes, about the challenges they've faced and what they've learned works best to help keep them on track. The three pros hope that their authentic stories will encourage others living with diabetes to overcome any stigma they feel when speaking openly about the condition and be proactive in finding a management plan customized to meet their specific needs.

"When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I was overwhelmed by how many aspects of my health and lifestyle I now had to monitor closely – blood sugar, diet, sleep, exercise and more," said Golic. "Then, inspired by my many years in football, I decided to create my own 'playbook' of sorts, developing a specific approach for each factor I needed to track and leveraging tools and methods that fit my lifestyle, my body and my specific diabetes. With Talking Type You, we want people with diabetes to realize – as you'll see in my interviews with John Kruk and Kyle Love – that every person's diabetes is different and they should keep trying new 'plays' until they find the ones that work for them."

"Every person is unique, so it's important for people with diabetes to partner with their healthcare team, including a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, to implement self-care behaviors and use trial and error to see what works for them and what doesn't," said Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDCES, BC-ADM, a diabetes care provider and owner of a diabetes consultancy. "Find healthcare providers who listen to you and 'get' who you are and what you need to balance your daily diabetes care while living your life the way you want, take advantage of technologies designed to measure and track your diabetes, and think about your health and wellness holistically."

Golic is a recent adopter of a more tech-based approach to managing his diabetes and speaks to how it's been "game-changing" in his conversations with Kruk and Love. He now uses OneTouch^® Solutions, which is a new digital one-stop shop that offers wellness programs from experts like Noom, Fitbit, Cecelia Health and Welldoc and can be paired with glucose data from Bluetooth® connected OneTouch® meters. Like Golic, users can build their own individual program choosing from a suite of solutions featuring live and digital diabetes support – including support from Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists – as well as assistance reaching weight and fitness goals and much more.

"Perceived stigma around diabetes, especially Type 2, can be detrimental to a person's ability to manage their condition – this is something that we've seen in research and as well firsthand over four decades working with the diabetes community," said Lisa Rose, LifeScan Global SVP and Chief Marketing Officer. "We believe it's time for that to change and hope that Mike, Kyle and John sharing their honest experiences will empower others living with diabetes to proactively seek a management plan that fits their needs and openly ask their medical teams, as well as family and friends, for support in reaching their wellness goals."   

There are more than 34 million people living with diabetes in the United States – enough to fill 485 professional football stadiums – and that number is on the rise, largely due to challenges with weight management and inactivity facing millions of Americans and, for many, exacerbated by the pandemic. Golic himself made meaningful changes to his diet and exercise routines following his diagnosis and knows it can be difficult to become, and stay, motivated. To help kickstart others' wellness journeys, Mike and LifeScan, maker of OneTouch^®, are giving away home gym equipment of the winner's choosing and other wellness prizes in a sweepstakes that begins today.

The sweepstakes, as well as the interviews with John and Kyle and more information about OneTouch^® Solutions, can be found at www.TalkingTypeYou.com.

About the OneTouch^® brand made by LifeScan
LifeScan is a global leader in blood glucose monitoring and digital health technology and has a vision to create a world without limits for people with diabetes and related conditions. More than 20 million people and their caregivers around the world count on LifeScan's OneTouch brand products to manage their diabetes. Together, LifeScan and OneTouch improve the quality of life for people with diabetes with products and digital platforms defined by simplicity, accuracy, and trust. www.LifeScan.com and www.OneTouch.com

SOURCE Lifescan, Inc.