As an American Ninja Warrior—the first female to ever compete with type 1 diabetes (T1D)—Christina Martin seemed to defy the odds of gravity and physical ability.
Ironically, the one thing that everyone thought might slow her down–her T1D–is what propelled her to succeed.
As a T1D Champion and advocate for the community, Christina hosted a Facebook Live discussion on April 10, sharing her story in hopes that it helps others living with T1D—especially as everyone faces the unsettling struggles that have come with the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is easy to take the struggles that you have, or things you can’t control, and say that is the reason why I can’t do this,” says Christina. “It’s much harder to take that struggle and say, ‘you know what, I am going to be better, I’m going to be stronger because of this. This is not going to be a dream, it’s going to be a goal.
“That’s the hard part. And that is what I had to learn.”
Christina, also a professional dancer and motivational speaker, talks about her life in three distinct parts: life before T1D, life around T1D and life with T1D. The middle years were the hardest.
“T1D, for sure, changed my whole life.” She recalls getting sick at school when she was 13 and spending an entire day in the hospital undergoing tests, ending with the doctor sharing her type 1 diabetes diagnosis.
“He said: ‘if you do not learn how to manage this and control this, you can die from this.’ I remember feeling as if I had just been given a death sentence. It was devastating.”
Soon after, Christina started a club at high school, aimed at teaching others about T1D and sharing her love of dance at the same time. Ultimately, her club evolved into the not-for-profit Type Zero Foundation, offering support to families dealing with T1D. This was her living around T1D phase of life.
“I realized that while I was helping others, I was not helping myself.”
When speaking at Breakthrough T1D’s 2019 Children’s Congress, Christina shared that she would often dance and perform without her T1D devices. They didn’t look good with her form-fitting dance outfits and “bounced around” when she performed. But the highs, lows and crashes took a toll. “I started to learn that [denial] was not going to get me to where I wanted to be.” Today, she makes certain everyone knows about her T1D, that she eats well and takes snacks when needed to keep her levels balanced.
Today, she is living with T1D.
“I can give you a list of 10 foods you should eat, 10 exercises you should do, but if you do not first realize what you have control over, none of it will matter.
“Life is crazy right now with the coronavirus. But we control our own perspective. We can still decide how we choose to see the world.
“Focus,” she said, “on what you have control over.” Then, make it work for you.
