NFL Quarterback Jay Cutler Talks About His Diabetes

As an NFL quarterback, Jay Cutler makes his living putting a football into the hands of an open receiver before getting slammed to the ground by a huge defensive lineman.  

Photo Credit: Chicago Bears

It's a stressful occupation, all about timing, a little luck, and seeing the big picture in a split second.  

So when Cutler lost 35 pounds and felt continually tired during April workouts for the 2008 season with the Denver Broncos, he wrote it off as stress-related.  When a team trainer pulled him aside after a routine physical, Cutler never saw it coming.

"I think you need to see a doctor," the trainer told the 25-year old quarterback, pointing to a blood sugar of 550. "I think you have type 1 diabetes." Cutler remembers how the conversation ended: "Everything is going to be OK."

"I knew the word 'diabetes,'" Cutler says, looking back at that moment, "but not much more than that. I went to the doctor after leaving the trainer's office and learned how to take injections and use a glucose meter. I started asking questions and went online looking for information."

And Cutler did something else. Continue Reading at Diabetes Health