george canyon - Animas Canada

PERFORMANCE
An Animas Canada Publication
Fall/Winter • 2010/2011
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ATHLETE’S CORNER
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IS YOUR ANIMAS PUMP?
THINKING OF
DISCONNECTING?
FEATURE STORY
GEORGE CANYON:
LIVING THE DREAM
FEATURE STORY
GEORGE CANYON: LIVING THE DREAM
Browse through country music star
George Canyon’s website and it
doesn’t take long to discover that the
award-winning country music artist loves
flying. The photo cover of his album
entitled “What I Do” released in 2008
proves that, where he stands posed in
front of an aircraft.
As far back as he can remember, George
dreamed of flying airplanes and joining
the Canadian Air Force. “It’s all I wanted
since I was a little kid,” he reminisces.
His dream came to a heart-wrenching halt
when, at age 14, George was diagnosed
with Type 1 diabetes. The diagnosis—and
realization that he wouldn’t be a pilot—
drained him emotionally for years.
Being the stubborn person he is,
however, George wasn’t about to give up.
Not only was he able to eventually accept
his diagnosis, he embraced it. “Perhaps
diabetes was meant to direct me on a
different path in life. I decided then to
take control and to live my dreams.”
Today, not only is George a certified
pilot, the award-winning musician is
an Honorary Colonel in the Canadian
Air Force with five stints overseas with
the military. As an artist, his long list of
awards includes two Juno’s, Entertainer
of the Year, and Songwriter of the
Year for the Canadian Country Music
Association (CCMA). In 2008, the CCMA
awarded George
the Humanitarian
Award in
recognition of his
work with children
with diabetes
and the Canadian
military.
As successful and
accomplished
as he is, George
admits getting
there wasn’t always
easy. When he was
first diagnosed,
George found
diabetes as much
a mental struggle
as a physical one.
As a teen, George
felt he had a hard time fitting in. “I had to
weigh my food. I wasn’t allowed sweets
like birthday cake, and I was always,
always being told what to do by my
parents, doctors and adults. This disease
was more a battle of the mind than a
battle of the body,” recounts George.
It was these experiences as a teen with
diabetes, and his desire to reach out
to children and families living with the
illness, that ignited the spark to share
his story and positive message. Over the
last few years, George has done more
than 100 meet-and-greet sessions with
kids before his shows and made visits
to diabetes camps throughout North
America. His unwavering message to
those with diabetes is sincere and direct:
“If you control your diabetes, you can live
your dreams.”
In 2009, George launched a tour, aptly
named “The Sky’s Not The Limit,” that
had him flying his CTSW Advanced Ultra
Light aircraft across the country and
performing a series of private concerts for
children and families living with diabetes.
Co-sponsored by Animas Canada, the
tour was unique because each concert
took place in an airport hangar or air field
location where the kids could see him
fly in. George would then come out and
perform, and also talk about diabetes.
When asked what inspired this tour,
George says: “I wanted to show [kids] in
“Pumping is the best thing to ever happen to my
diabetes control. I can sum it up in one word: freedom.”
For George, it was a special and
heartwarming surprise.
“It’s a very great honour to be given the
first Canadian “Friends for Life Award”.
Of all the awards I have been given over
the years, I hold this one very dear. It’s
one thing to be lauded for your craft,
but to feel that you are doing something
to help children deal with their illness
means so much more. It’s a privilege
to be connected to this very special
community.” To find out more about
Children With Diabetes, please visit
www.childrenwithdiabetes.com.
With a recently released single, a new
album due out in January 2011, and
more tour dates planned, what’s next for
George Canyon?
person that I live my dreams by controlling
my diabetes, instead of just telling them
about it. At some point, they need to see it
with their own eyes to believe it, and that’s
what we wanted to do.”
During his concerts, he speaks openly
and honestly about his diabetes, and will
even take the time to show the audience
his Animas insulin pump.
“About five years ago, I was on the
Internet and, by the Grace of God,
stumbled across a pumping article and
immediately pursued it. The next thing
I know, I’m pumping and living a life I
thought was stolen from me at age 14,”
says George.
“It was a decision that changed my life
so drastically, I still get choked up just
thinking about it.” When asked what
his favourite thing about his pump is,
George doesn’t hesitate: “Everything!
It’s the best thing to ever happen to my
diabetes control. I can sum it up in one
word: freedom.”
And with his freedom, George Canyon
continues to do what he loves best:
write and perform music, and work with
children with diabetes.
In August 2010, George became the first
recipient of the Canadian Friends for
Life Award, presented by Children With
Diabetes (CWD).
“George has donated his time, energy,
compassion and good karma to our
CWD families in both
the United States
and Canada for the
past 4 years. He has
spent countless hours
meeting with children
and families with Type
1 diabetes, sharing
his own experiences
about growing up
with Type 1 diabetes,
comparing notes and
strategies, and simply
becoming a good
friend to all of us.”
says Laura Billetdeaux,
VP Education and
Programs for Children
with Diabetes Inc.
“Whatever God has planned for me. I
try to live every day to the fullest. I don’t
concern myself with the future. I try
to learn from the past, but I live in the
present.”
www.facebook.com/georgecanyon
www.georgecanyon.com
ATHLETE’S CORNER
HAVE PUMP WILL PADDLE
Three gold medals and a bronze in paddling, a move to a new province, and a marriage proposal.
It’s been quite the year for Leanne Stanley.
But the champion paddler with Type 1 diabetes from Parry Sound, Ontario isn’t about to slow down. Having conquered two podiums
this year, she now has her sights set on making Team Canada’s dragon boat team in 2011, and is going for paddling gold again in
Calgary in 2012. She’s also busy setting up coaching and training programs in her new home in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley.
For Leanne, diabetes has held many
mixed blessings. Not only has the
disease given her the motivation to
train harder and smarter than ever
before, a life-changing low blood
sugar while paddling in Greece late last year gave her a new perspective on life—and the confidence to move to B.C and embark on
“new adventures,” as she so aptly writes in her blog, LeanneStanley.com.
“Don’t give up on your dreams just because you have diabetes.
You don’t adjust your life to diabetes; you adjust your diabetes
to your life.” -Leanne Stanley
Diagnosed in 2006, Leanne had been experiencing symptoms as early as 2004, and was noticing that her training was suffering more
and more. At first, doctors thought she had Type 2 diabetes. After talking to her doctor about her lifestyle, both were convinced that
she had Type 1, and she started on insulin that day. As Leanne writes, “Insulin gave me my life back.”
About five months after her diagnosis , she and her diabetes team decided an insulin pump would be the best way for her to manage
her diabetes, especially on the water where she had a tendency to go low. Now a pumper for three years, Leanne’s favourite feature of
her Animas OneTouch® Ping™—not surprisingly—is that it’s waterproof. “I don’t have to take my pump off when I paddle. I can be on
the water for up to 10 hours at a time, and my boat does flip. My pump needs to be able to get wet.”
As an elite athlete, Leanne is constantly adjusting and
experimenting with changes in her diabetes regimen to optimize
her performance.* “Every time I try something new, I observe
how I react.” She laughs, “I’m like my own science experiment.”
During training, she might test her sugars every 40 minutes,
and writes down as much as she can about her regimen before,
during, and after a race. She has experimented with lowering her
temp basal rate during training and racing, and is working on
managing post-prandial spikes in her sugars. Leanne frequently
shares her observations, and BG and A1c results—not to mention
her training and race results—on her blog LeanneStanley.com, on
Facebook, and on Twitter under @Type1Kanu.
With her pump, Leanne says she has been able to take her
training to the next level, and feels stronger and fitter than ever
before. And because she’s so tuned in to her body—a necessity
because of her diabetes—during races and training she can
immediately recognize signs such as muscle fatigue, dehydration, and changing blood sugar levels.
More recently, Leanne attended the Children With Diabetes Conference with Animas Canada in Vancouver where she had the
opportunity to meet with newly-diagnosed children and young adults. When asked what she likes to tell young diabetes patients, she
replies, “Don’t give up on your dreams just because you have diabetes. You don’t adjust your life to diabetes; you adjust your diabetes
to your life.”
Words of a true champion.
*Be sure to consult your healthcare professional before making changes to your diabetes regimen.
When I say bolus, you say gotcha.
Bolus.
Gotcha.
Meet the NEW
OneTouch Ping
insulin pump and
meter-remote system.
®
TM
We think pump therapy should be ready to respond to you every way it can, so you can live life the way you want. That’s why the
OneTouch® PingTM system goes so easily from task to task depending on what you want. Jump in the ocean or stay on the beach.
Dose insulin from the pump or the meter-remote.
Because when you can control diabetes with minimum disruption to your life, you’re free to perform at your best.
Here’s a quick overview of
some of the things that make
OneTouch® PingTM different
from other systems.
It delivers double
the smarts.
Both our insulin pump and
meter-remote have working
brains. Our pump is packed
with unique features that may
be accessed both wirelessly
(using the meter-remote)
and manually. And our fully
functional meter-remote can
check your blood sugar, count
carbs, calculate and deliver an
insulin dose and more.
It can precisely match
your basal insulin needs.
No other pump gives you a
smaller increment of basal
insulin (0.025 U/hr) for precise
basal dosing and adjusting.
So if you need 0.025, 0.675
or 1.075 U/hr to stay in tight
control and perform at your
best, we can deliver it.
It can hold its breath
underwater
Ours is the only system
with an insulin pump that’s
tested and proven waterproof
at 3.6 meters (12 feet) for
up to 24 hours, so you can
swim laps in the pool or
get drenched in the rain
without worry.*
It lets you give yourself an
insulin dose—and never
touch your pump.
Because our insulin pump
and meter-remote
communicate and share
information wirelessly, the
meter-remote can actually
control pump functions.
So you can give yourself an
insulin dose remotely, while
your pump stays conveniently
tucked away.
It’s smart about your carbs.
Our meter-remote can store
the nutritional values of up
to 500 foods, for easy and
accurate carb counting on
the go.
In fact, people like this feature
so much that they’ve switched
from other pumps to ours
because of it.1
The meter-remote must not be exposed to water.
†Organic Light-Emitting Diode.
1.
Based on a customer survey of Animas pumpers who switched from Medtronic. Data on file, Animas Corp.
*
No matter where you look,
there’s a colour display.
Both our insulin pump and our
meter-remote have flat panel
OLED† colour screens. These
screens are self-illuminating,
high contrast and viewable
from a wide angle. That’s
important when you’re a
pumper on the move.
And they look good, too!
OneTouch® Ultra®­
Blue Test Strips
with DoubleSure™
Technology.
The OneTouch® Ping™
system uses the OneTouch®
Ultra® Blue Test Strip with
DoubleSure™ technology that
automatically checks each
sample twice to confirm the
result. And now, with Code25,
OneTouch® Ultra® Blue Test
Strips make it easy to keep
your meter calibrated for
accuracy.
BEHIND THE SCENES
WHO IS ANIMAS ?
®
Name: Ben Lovett
Position: Territory Manager
Type 1 Diagnosis: September 2003
Pumper Since: May 2006
Pump Colour: Green (with a bright red skin)
Favourite thing about my pump:
It’s a tie for top spot!
Temp basal and waterproof ability.
What diabetes means to me:
No obstacle too challenging!
Working at Animas is an absolute privilege!
Where else would I have the pleasure of
connecting every day with so many other
people who live with diabetes?
As a proud Dad, I am inspired by
the parents and family members
who put the lives of their children
and loved ones ahead of all else.
I also believe that as Canadians
we are so fortunate to have such
a compassionate group of
Healthcare Professionals who
dedicate their lives to help us
all. My Dad has lived with Type
1 for 51 years and has shown me
that strength, knowledge and
persistence can lead to a healthy
life with diabetes. Diabetes has
helped shape my direction in life and for that I am grateful. And of course I love my Animas pump 
Living your best life with diabetes?
If you are an Animas® Pumper living life
to the fullest, then “Performance” newsletter wants
to hear from you!
Send us your favourite photos of you and your
Animas® pump doing whatever it is you love to
do, and your photo just might get featured in an
upcoming newsletter!
Submit photos to [email protected]. All pictures and stories submitted become the property of Animas® Canada.
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS YOUR ANIMAS PUMP?
®
Gerrit, on a camel in Morocco, on a
trip around the world with his parents!
Show us where you and your Animas pump have been!
Send your photo and a brief description of your location to [email protected]
®
RESEARCH
This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace your healthcare provider’s diabetes
treatment plan. You should talk to your healthcare team before making changes to your diabetes treatment plan.
THINKING OF DISCONNECTING YOUR INSULIN PUMP?
Those of us who wear an insulin pump receive a pulse of rapid acting insulin approximately every 3 minutes, also known as our basal rate.
Our pump is programmed to deliver this “background” insulin, and when programmed correctly, this keeps blood glucose in check around the
clock, independent of bolusing for food intake.
Patients may choose to disconnect from their insulin pump when showering/ bathing, exercising, during intimate moments and when
swimming.
What happens when we disconnect from the pump, thereby interrupting our basal insulin delivery for a time?
A recent study was conducted to research exactly that. Published in Diabetes Care 2008, it monitored the effect of a 30 minute disconnect.
The blood glucose values were measured one hour prior to disconnection and for the following 4 hours. What was the effect on the blood
glucose following a 30 minute disconnect?
The results were interesting and may surprise those of us that disconnect intermittently.
(12.8 mmol/L) 230
(11.7 mmol/L) 210
(10.6 mmol/L) 190
disconnect reconnect
170

(8.3 mmol/L) 150
(7.2 mmol/L)
130
(6.1 mmol/L)
110
(5.0 mmol/L)
90
(3.9 mmol/L)
70
Mean BG
mg/dL
3 hr post-disconnect

(9.4 mmol/L)
1 hr pre-disconnect
0
50
30 mg/dL
(1.7 mmol/L)

100
150
200

250
Time (min)
Graph adapted from Quantifying the Impact of a Short-Interval Interruption of Insulin-Pump Infusion Sets on Glycemic Excursions. Howard Zisser. Diabetes Care February 1, 2008.
Volume 31, Number 2. P. 239
Nineteen subjects with Type 1 diabetes were studied. One hour after arriving at the clinic in a fasting state, subjects temporarily disconnected from their pumps at their infusion set site,
interrupting basal insulin infusion for 30 minutes. Subjects rested in a fasting state for an additional 3 h after reconnecting, and glucose levels were monitored for an additional 4 hours.
Notice from the time action graph that a 30 minute disconnect does not greatly affect blood glucose concentrations during this period. Pump
users may well experience this themselves - disconnect your pump for 30 minutes and nothing much happens in terms of blood glucose rise.
Most interesting, however, and something for the pump user to consider is the delayed effect on blood glucose levels. Mean blood glucose
was significantly higher at 3 and 3.5 hours following disruption of basal insulin for 30 minutes.
It was concluded that the 30 minute interruption of basal insulin resulted in significant glucose elevation. The rate of rise in glucose
concentration was 1 mmol for every 18 minutes insulin infusion was interrupted.
The clinical trial also indicated that “Patient education should focus on when and how to safely disconnect infusion sets and discuss the likely
impact that disconnecting has on glucose levels.”
Always follow your healthcare team’s individual guidelines when disconnecting your pump because you may need to compensate for missed
basal insulin. Before and after you disconnect for any length of time, remember to check your BG levels.
AN 10-836A
Our inspiration is you.
Rachel Wilson
Markham, ON
Diagnosed with Type I
diabetes at age 3
Visit us online at www.OneTouchPing.ca or call
Customer Care at 1-866-600-2233 today!
At Animas , we make insulin pumps that perform
for you, so you can perform at your best.
®
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© 2010 LifeScan Canada Ltd., Burnaby, BC V5C 6C6
AW 095-576A 10/2010