Cycling for a Diabetes Cure and a Tour de France Victory

PHIL: I've wanted to go to the tour since I was 12 years old.

PHIL SOUTHERLAND'S LIFE HAS BEEN THE STUFF OF MOVIES. IN FACT, THIS VIDEO IS FROM A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE WORLD CLASS CYCLIST AND HIS TEAM. BUT WHAT MAKES PHIL'S STORY SO REMARKABLE ISN'T ANY RECORDS HE'S SET, BUT WHAT HE'S HAD TO OVERCOME AND HOW HE'S HELPING OTHERS.

WHEN PHIL WAS 7 MONTHS OLD, HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES. HIS BODY WAS NOT PRODUCING INSULIN TO KEEP HIS BLOOD SUGAR IN CHECK. THE PROGNOSIS FROM DOCTORS WASN'T GOOD.

PHIL: They told my mom that I was going to be dead or blind by 25.

JOANNA: I went home and was crying on my porch, because, you know, Phil's got these big blue eyes and I'm thinking, 'My God in Heaven, what's going to happen to him?'"

MANAGING PHIL'S DISEASE WAS A CHALLENGE.
My mother, she had it tough when I was kid, because all the trial and error, seizures, hospitals.

BUT SHE NOTICED THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT HELPED.

JOANNA: It was evident to me that when Phil moved around, his blood sugar stayed close to normal, so exercise to me was key.

AN ACTIVE KID AND GIFTED ATHLETE, PHIL SETTLED ON CYCLING AS HIS SPORT. IN COLLEGE HE EARNED A SPOT ON THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA TEAM.

AT A RACE, PHIL MET JOE ELDRIDGE, AN AUBURN UNIVERSITY CYCLIST WHO ALSO HAD DIABETES. THE TWO BONDED AND SHARED A GOAL

PHIL: How can we use the bike, which is something I love, to show people with diabetes that it doesn't really matter where you are right now, but it's where you want to be a month from now, six months from now, a year from now.

THE ANSWER: TEAM TYPE 1. IT'S THE WORLD'S FIRST PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM WHOSE RIDERS ALL HAVE TYPE 1 DIABETES. THE DOCUMENTARY FOLLOWS TEAM MEMBERS AS THEY RACE TOWARDS A SPOT IN THE 2012 TOUR DE FRANCE. THEY RIDE TO WIN AND TO SEND THIS MESSAGE: DIET, EXERCISE AND GOOD HEALTH CARE ARE KEYS TO MANAGING DIABETES.

PHIL: The more people that see Team Type 1 the more people that are going to be empowered to take control of their diabetes so they can achieve their dreams. And that's what the team's all about.

TEAM TYPE 1 ISN'T JUST "1" ANY MORE. IT'S MUSHROOMED TO SIX TEAMS, COMPRISING BOTH AMATEURS AND PROFESSIONALS, AND CYCLISTS WTH TYPE 2 DIABETES. PHIL MANAGES THEM ALL.

PHIL: Every kid wants to do something, so if there is a subtle way to encourage exercise.

HE ALSO SPEAKS TO GROUPS ABOUT DEALING WITH DIABETES.

PHIL: Whether it's riding a bike, doing something that you can do with friends, have a good time but know that your kid's not different than any kid out there all they have to do is check their blood sugar and eat some food.

PREACHING PERSEVERANCE AND INSTILLING HOPE.

PHIL: I think I was given diabetes for a reason. I love what I do, and I love the fact that myself and my entire team can have this great impact on people. I think I'm fulfilling what I was put on this earth to do.

This entry last modified on: January 11, 2012 2:42 PM