Bisons hockey player not letting diabetes bench him

WINNIPEG – Like most hockey players, Jordan DePape has a certain routine.

But unlike most hockey players, his routine has an extra step.

“My situation is a lot different than everybody else on my team,” said the Winnipegger.

DePape has type 1 diabetes. The 22-year-old Manitoba Bisons forward discovered he had the disease nearly a decade ago. He uses an insulin pump to help manage it and needs to remove it before every hockey game or practice. The other option for DePape is up to ten injections a day.

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“When I was first diagnosed, the toughest part was adjusting to playing hockey with diabetes,” said DePape. “It was a lot of trial and error.”

Including finding ways to control his blood sugar levels while on the ice.

“There’s always something on the bench,” said DePape. “I’ll have a juice box or fruit or skittles or something like that.”

DePape is one of 112,000 Manitobans living with diabetes, giving our province one of the highest per capita rates in Canada. That number is only going to get higher. The Canadian Diabetes Association estimates 44,000 more people will be diagnosed within the next decade. But thanks to advancements like the insulin pump, they’ll never have to sit on the sidelines.

“It allows for people to see that you are not limited because you have diabetes,” said the Canadian Diabetes Association’s Andrea Kwasnicki.

The pump helps people with the disease to easily match their insulin level to their lifestyle. It feeds the hormone through a tube attached just above the hip, providing the energy the body needs to function.

“If you’re going swimming or skating, that physical activity increase is reflective on your amount of insulin needed,” said Kwasnicki.

Giving those diagnosed the freedom to do whatever they want.

“Diabetes is just a bump in the road,” said DePape. “Not a road block.”