Doing Well with Diabetes: Overcoming Stigma in Sports

Episode 2 of Doing Well with Diabetes Season 2 focuses on “Overcoming Stigma in Sports,” highlighting two elite athletes living with type 1 diabetes outside the traditional Western spotlight. In part one, Rebeca Jara, a Costa Rican pole vaulter, shares her diagnosis at age seven, the transformational impact of attending diabetes camp as a teenager, and the long process of learning how stress, food, and insulin affect performance. She describes major competitions where high blood sugars, lack of fast-acting insulin, and broken vials wrecked her meets—and how she initially leaned on diabetes as an explanation for poor results. The turning point comes when a coach tries to keep her off a Central American team “because she has diabetes,” and she not only makes the squad but wins gold. That moment flips her internal narrative from “I can’t because of diabetes” to “I’m capable, and I won’t let others use diabetes as a reason to exclude me.” In part two, Ousman Ceesay from Gambia recounts being discriminated against and effectively cut from a football team because of his diabetes. Instead of quitting, he helps form a new team of players with diabetes, is named captain, and scores a decisive header in their first official match—against the very coach who rejected him. From there he becomes a leading advocate in Gambia, attacking myths about diabetes (like “it’s only caused by sugar”) through social media, TV, and radio, while mentoring younger people with type 1 who are afraid to be seen. His motto, “All Is Well Like Never Before,” comes from a night of severe hypoglycemia, a morning spike, and the realization that despite diabetes, he can walk, see, and live independently—privileges many hospitalized people don’t have. Together, Rebeca and Ousman show how stigma in sport can be confronted with preparation, persistence, and visibility, turning diabetes from a reason to be excluded into the engine for leadership and change. Chapters 01:36 – Meet Rebeca: Costa Rican Track & Field Athlete with T1D 02:53 – Diagnosis, Early Years, and Finding Diabetes Camp 06:31 – First Track Competitions and Stress-High Blood Sugars 09:21 – Central American Championship: Broken Insulin Vial and DNS-Level Highs 15:05 – Overcoming Lows and Highs in Competition 18:28 – Coach Tries to Exclude Rebeca Because of Diabetes 20:01 – Winning Gold and Changing the Narrative 22:19 – Advice to Her Younger Self and Enjoying Sport 23:22 – Rebeca’s Online Presence: “Rebebetes” 24:12 – Meet Ousman: Gambian Footballer with T1D 24:49 – Being Cut for Having Diabetes and Forming a New Team 26:06 – First Game, Captain’s Armband, and the Winning Header 28:58 – Beating the Coach Who Discriminated Against Him 29:32 – Misconceptions About Diabetes in Gambia 31:56 – Building a Public Advocate: Social Media, TV, and Radio 33:54 – Mentoring Young People and Normalizing Visibility 36:58 – Origin Story of “All Is Well Like Never Before” 40:31 – Turning Hypo/Hyper Swings into Gratitude and a Clothing Brand 42:31 – Health, Perspective, and Redefining “Well” 43:24 – Closing Reflections and Future Vision Resources: Rebeca’ Instagram Young Leaders in Diabetes Young Leaders in Diabetes Instagram Ousman Ceesay Linkedin Ousman Ceesay Instagram

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