Chris's Story

It was right before my 28th birthday — the spring of 2009 — when an endocrinologist diagnosed me with Type 1 diabetes. Needless to say, it came as a shock.

I did not know if I was wired to handle this. I remember my mind racing with these thoughts after work one day. There I was lying in bed – weak and fatigued, so thin my clothes didn’t fit me. I felt like a shell of my former self.

In time I would discover it’s the trying moments in life when you learn the most about yourself and the people around you. It’s those low points that give you profound perspective.

Living with T1D and its inherent ups and downs gave me the strength to take a leap of faith and pursue a new career passion with no guarantee of success.  After nine memorable seasons working in corporate sponsorships for the Los Angeles Lakers, I left a dream job in 2015 to pursue an even bigger dream of mine. Last summer I graduated with my Masters in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University as a McCormick Scholar. My expectation is to become an NFL reporter in 2017.

The motivation to succeed has always been inside of me. But my diagnosis helped me discover the extra gear – which all Type 1 diabetics have – to help propel me to greater heights.

Chris Hayre