Oliver was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 15 after experiencing months of illness and extreme weight loss.As an elite-level hockey player, the diagnosis was a huge blow, leaving him scared and uncertain about his future and whether his goals and dreams would still be attainable.
"Everything changed very quickly," Oliver recalls. "My mom had to learn how to count carbs and make sure I was taking the correct amounts of insulin for everything I ate. I went from living a normal teenage life to living in fear of this disease every day."
Despite challenges, Oliver continued to play hockey and golf, weight train, and coach young hockey players. He has learned that type 1 diabetes is not something he can be cured of. "It is with me forever, no matter what I do or how healthy I am," he says.
Oliver has met others with diabetes through their devices, creating connections over something not everyone understands.
Oliver is proud of how far he has come in just two years since his diagnosis. He has been able to travel with his team around Canada and the US, keeping his blood sugars in range without the help of his parents. He has attended camps to further his hockey career and performed well despite having highs and lows during tryouts.
Oliver recently took a cruise through the Bahamas with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. The heat and change in climate affected his blood sugars, making them higher than normal. Eating different foods that were not part of his regular diet also posed challenges. His family, still learning about his diagnosis, panicked when his alarms went off, even though he was okay."I hope to travel to many more places in the world as I get older and adapt to my diabetes as I have to in every new place I go," Oliver says.
Oliver is modeling in the Pump Couture Fashion Show to raise awareness about life with diabetes and help younger kids attend D-Camps, giving them a community of kids just like them. He dreams of becoming a physiotherapist or chiropractor if he doesn't make it to the NHL.
Please show your support by helping Oliver reach his fundraising goal.
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