Meet #MedtronicChampion Dalton

Overcoming obstacles to achieve his goals: Meet #MedtronicChampion Dalton
 

Meet Dalton, a sophomore at East Tennessee State University, track star, business major, and entrepreneur — he and his brother have their own lawn care business, and he recently started a new chapter in a fraternity at his school. He also lives with type 1 diabetes and is a proud #MedtronicChampion and Medtronic Ambassador. Here’s his story:

I am from Ashland, KY, and am attending college at East Tennessee State University. I have played sports all my life, including basketball, track and field, and cross country running. I was in seventh grade when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). I remember it was during basketball season. I was extremely small compared to everyone else, and I had to go to the doctor because I couldn’t see the rim of the hoop. We found out later this was because my blood sugar was so high. I looked up my symptoms online and determined I had T1D. Of course, my parents took me to the doctor. The doctor thought I had a urinary tract infection, which wasn’t the right diagnosis. A week later my blood sugar was 584 and we went to the emergency room. I was diagnosed on January 16, 2016.

Growing up with diabetes
 

When I was first diagnosed, I was really upset because I thought I couldn’t play sports anymore. But my doctors assured me that wasn’t true. I immediately didn’t care anymore that I had diabetes, as long as I could still do everything I had before. The first three or four years were rough because I was still growing and going through puberty. My whole body was changing and having diabetes on top of it was a big lifestyle change. There were many times I’d miss school because my blood sugar was too high or too low. 

Around my junior year of high school, I switched to the Guardian™ Sensor 3 continuous glucose monitor and MiniMed™ 770G insulin pump system. It’s been great and I love it! Before I would stay up most nights fighting the highs and lows. Being at college, I have the app so my parents can also see my blood sugar even though they are four hours away. The auto mode makes a big difference and helps me keep my blood sugar in range. 

Diabetes won’t hold me back

When I graduate, I want to grow my and my brother’s lawn care business.  We plan to start a rental property business as well. I’ve also thought about being a part-time fire fighter.  I’ll see where it takes me!

It’s an obstacle – not a roadblock
 

When I first met with my endocrinologist, he said something that I will never forget and still think about almost every day. He wanted his patients to view diabetes as an obstacle in the road — not a roadblock. You have to figure out ways around it and ways to adapt — perhaps take a detour — but it’s not going to change your trajectory or your final destination.   

“I am a #MedtronicChampion because I want to let everyone know I didn’t let diabetes hold me back. I ran track in college, which is a goal I had before becoming a diabetic. Even with diabetes, it’s possible to achieve any goal you have.”

As a Medtronic Diabetes Ambassador, Dalton receives promotional items and educational material to use and share as he sees fit. Opinions expressed by an Ambassador are based on the Ambassador's actual experience and are not necessarily the opinions of Medtronic. Individual experiences vary, and the experience other individuals have with the device could be different. Please talk to your doctor about your condition and the risks and benefits of Medtronic devices.    

Important Safety Information: MiniMed^™ 770G System with SmartGuard^™ Technology 

The MiniMed^™ 770G system is intended for continuous delivery of basal insulin (at user selectable rates) and administration of insulin boluses (in user selectable amounts) for the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus in persons two years of age and older requiring insulin as well as for the continuous monitoring and trending of glucose levels in the fluid under the skin. The MiniMed^™ 770G System includes SmartGuard^™ technology, which can be programmed to automatically adjust delivery of basal insulin based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor glucose values (SG) and can suspend delivery of insulin when the SG value falls below or is predicted to fall below predefined threshold values. 

The Medtronic MiniMed^™ 770G System consists of the following devices: MiniMed^™ 770G Insulin Pump, the Guardian^™ Link (3) Transmitter, the Guardian^™ Sensor (3), one-press serter, the Accu-Chek^® Guide Link blood glucose meter, and the AccuChek^®Guide Test Strips. The system requires a prescription. 

The Guardian^™ Sensor (3) has not been evaluated and is not intended to be used directly for making therapy adjustments, but rather to provide an indication of when a fingerstick may be required. All therapy adjustments should be based on measurements obtained using a blood glucose meter and not on values provided by the Guardian^™ Sensor (3). 

All therapy adjustments should be based on measurements obtained using the Accu-Chek^® Guide Link blood glucose meter and not on values provided by the Guardian^™ Sensor (3). Always check the pump display to ensure the glucose result shown agrees with the glucose results shown on the Accu-Chek^® Guide Link blood glucose meter. Do not calibrate your CGM device or calculate a bolus using a blood glucose meter result taken from an alternative site. It is not recommended to calibrate your CGM device when sensor or blood glucose values are changing rapidly, e.g., following a meal or physical exercise.

WARNING: Do not use the MiniMed^™ 770G system until appropriate training has been received from a healthcare professional. Training is essential to ensure the safe use of the MiniMed^™ 770G system.

Pump therapy is not recommended for people whose vision or hearing does not allow recognition of pump signals and alarms. Pump therapy is not recommended for people who are unwilling or unable to maintain contact with their healthcare professional. The safety of the MiniMed^™ 770G system has not been studied in pregnant women. For complete details of the system, including product and important safety information such as indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions associated with system and its components, please consult https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/important-safetyinformation#minimed-770g and the appropriate user guide at https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/download-library