Mike, 49

Symptoms before diagnosis:  

I am certain that I had undiagnosed type 2 diabetes for a few years. I would wake up absolutely ravenous and be in physical pain if I did not eat. I didn’t feel good most of the time, but I didn’t necessarily associate that with diabetes. I had no energy. I remember visiting friends in Toronto when I was about 37 and struggling to keep up with them as we walked and I thought that was weird. But complicating that picture was the alcohol abuse and depression. A few years ago, I wrote about my struggles with addiction and depression in the hope my experience might help others. But it was hard to tell in those years what symptoms were from diabetes and what were caused by other factors.

Diagnosis and treatment

I hadn’t seen a medical professional in a number of years. I didn’t have a great history with medical care and the healthcare industrial complex. That bad treatment of Indigenous peoples is institutionalized across healthcare. Indigenous people are ridiculed, humiliated, made to feel all kinds of shame, blamed for their conditions or their health problems. So, it is common to think, ‘Why would I go seek medical help or go to the hospital when I am going to be treated poorly and shamed?’  But I had moved to Victoria and I had established a trusting relationship with a nurse practitioner. She made me feel like she cared about me, so I begrudgingly agreed to some testing. My HbA1c was very high – double digits – I think around 17%.

What did you do?

The diagnosis was devasting to me. I realized I had to confront myself but I had no idea how hard it was going to be. I was immediately put on metformin.  My depression was also diagnosed, and I was put on antidepressants, but I was still drinking. By mixing alcohol and SSRIs I got into a really sharp downward spiral. I had a suicide attempt. I want to be really honest about my whole story, because it is important. I learned a lot, like don’t mix alcohol with SSRIs. I lost everything. That was the bottom. But I emerged from that. I knew I had to get healthy. And an important step in my long journey to health really started with becoming serious about cycling.

What happened?

I had started riding before the diagnosis. But when I started riding a bike, I immediately felt the mental health benefits. I would feel the endorphins on a good, long ride, and that would affect my mood and, in turn, my body. As I started to feel better, I was motivated to do more and more.  I began to feel like an athlete, and I developed a feeling of mastery. My sleep improved. I ate better and I began to see food as fuel for my cycling and not just for comfort. I cut out sugar and fast carbs, all white flour. In my rides I could feel the benefits of eating more protein. I kept a food diary. I lost 130 pounds. My depression lifted. I was able to maintain sobriety.  I started doing triathalons. I also got back in touch with my Indigenous heritage and began training as an Indigenous artist.  All of this – physical, mental, spiritual – has enabled me to improve my health, my life, and put my diabetes into remission. My A1C is regularly around 5.3%.

What are you doing now?

I am a pescatarian now with most of my protein from fish or vegetable sources. I don’t eat ultra-processed foods. I try to eat whole, minimally processed foods. I used to always keep a box of spaghetti in the cupboard, but I replaced that with chickpea pasta, which is high protein and lower carb and so I don’t miss traditional pasta.  I am still very physically active. I am focusing on my art.  I have also become involved with the National Indigenous Diabetes Association and am now it’s vice chair. 

What is your favorite “go-to” meal?

I love salmon with baby spinach or a large salad. And there will always be some sort of squash involved. I love squash. I have recently discovered White Swan squash. It’s the best.  

What do you want others to know?

If a guy like me can get to a place where there is hope, then perhaps maybe others can get to a place of hope. But I would never say that someone else should do what I did – that they need to start cycling long distances or doing triathalons, or cutting out certain foods. You have to find what works best for you. I have been reluctant to talk too much about my remission with other Indigenous people with type 2 diabetes because there is already such so much stigma and shame, and blame the victim, that I don’t want to suggest somehow that I am “better than” because I have been able to do this. People need to understand that the high rates of type 2 diabetes among Indigenous people are a direct result of colonization: loss of agency and cultural traditions, loss of connection to the land, loss of identity, loss of traditional ways of eating. It is all part of the genocide. Healing comes from regaining one’s sense of agency over your life and circumstances, and the reconciliation of historical physical, mental, and spiritual wrongs.

Top tips?

Don’t take on too much change at once. Start with small goals. When you have got that one goal under your belt, add another bit. I started by cycling and wanting to go just a little bit further each day.  And gradually adding, one by one, the various changes that built on each other.  And for me, it was all about reconnecting with who I am. Learning where I came from and where I belong.  Diabetes does not define me and there are greater things to think about. It is just one part of the picture of who I am.