Bears Blitz

Chicago Bears: Jay Cutler, No Matter His Performance, Is Still an Inspiration

Published by GB Bongiovanni on January 19, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Let the naysayers continue the talk of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and his attitude or inability to lead his team. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2008, he is an inspiration to those with the disease, no matter his performance.

It has been said that Cutler doesn’t want much to do with the media and gives one word answers. Even the GM of the Broncos said that Cutler’s attitude is why he was traded to the Bears in the first place. But who’s in the Championship game and who isn’t?

Cutler might not be the poster boy everyone wants in the NFL, but to some he’s everything and more. Cutler’s April 2008 diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes has changed his life forever. He is constantly challenged by keeping his blood sugars level at a stable point to ensure that he does not have complications when he is older.

In 2007, Cutler was in his first season as starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, and his 3,497 passing yards ranked as the seventh best single-season performance in team history.

Experts were starting to refer to Cutler as the next Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but in the later stages of the 2007 season, Cutler did not feel like himself.

He lost over 30 pounds, felt lethargic and did not know what was wrong with himself.

It was then that Jay Cutler would realize he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a disease that affects millions worldwide.

Cutler went through a period of time where his pancreas was turning off on him, what many people refer to as the honeymoon period, a condition where the pancreas shuts down and stops creating insulin for the body, causing blood sugar or glucose levels to rise.

One who suffers from high blood glucose can feel sick. If high enough, it could eventually be lethal.

By administering insulin, a diabetic is able to somewhat control his blood glucose level through careful monitoring and eating regimens.

There are two types of diabetes; Type 1 is less common than Type 2.

Type 2 is usually brought on by being overweight and eating poorly. Type 1, also called Juvenile Diabetes, is a genetic disease with a cause that cannot currently be explained.

Over three million Americans suffer from diabetes, and Jay Cutler is no different from any other person with the disease, except he is an NFL star.

He carries a blood glucose monitor, and he tests himself by pricking himself numerous times throughout the day and administers insulin to control his levels.

I am unfamiliar with how Jay Cutler does these procedures, but he, like every other Type 1 diabetic, struggles with the constant fluctuations of blood sugar levels.

While I applaud Jay Cutler and believe that his status as a professional football player will help spread awareness of the diabetes, it’s sometimes tough to realize that it takes a person of his status to raise awareness of a disease that affects so many.

I tip my hat to the inspiration that he has become to thousands of little boys and girls who one day want to be professional athletes.

Jay Cutler has been instrumental in founding The Jay Cutler Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life for underprivileged children and those suffering from diabetes. It is their belief that we are investing in their future as well as the future of the community itself.

One can hope that he is able to raise millions of dollars to find a cure. With all the technology and improvements made over the years, why haven’t we found a cure?

Why haven’t we found a cure for diabetes, cancer or another fatal disease that takes too many lives away from loved ones?

At the beginning of the 2009 season, Jay Cutler being a diabetic was a big story. They talked about it in the preseason, they talked about it on Monday Night Football and during the season.

Let’s not let 2011 be any different, and let’s not forget the positive impact that Jay Cutler brings to the NFL.

As a father of a daughter who suffers from Type 1 diabetes, I use Jay Cutler’s story as a story of success.

He is someone who puts forth effort on educating kids and adults on the long-term effects of diabetes and struggles just like my daughter on a daily basis, checking her blood and keeping the levels correct, but is still able to lead a professional football team like the Chicago Bears to the NFC Championship.

One day there will be a cure…Go Bears!