Surfing the waves of diabetes

Catherine Jacob has mastered surfing with Type 1 diabetes: she’s an 18-year-old competitive surfer living with Type 1. Here’s her inspiring story…

Surfing across SA

Catherine is in Matric, living (and surfing) in Ballito, and has been surfing competitively since she was 14, when competitions resumed after COVID. “My family spends a lot of time on the beach and I have an older brother who surfed in competitions, so it was natural for me to start surfing from a young age,” she explains. Catherine has competed in KZN champs and SA champs from the start, and last year she joined the SAST (South African Surf Tour) where she got to compete with the top junior South African surfers in the best surf spots around South Africa: Long Beach, Vic Bay, Port Alfred, Cape St Francis, Jeffreys Bay, Nahoon, Durban and Ballito.

All this, with diabetes.

Life with diabetes

“I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 12 years old, in Grade 6,” Catherine explains. “I’ve always been a beachy person and started noticing that I was losing weight fast and my costumes weren’t fitting me anymore. I was so thirsty that I found myself eating ice out of random strangers’ cooler boxes when water wasn’t available!” The final symptom was when she fell asleep after an exam at school, and only woke up as everyone left the room. Her parents took her to the doctor, who checked her blood sugar and sent her straight to the hospital for a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.

“I wish I’d known how many cool devices exist to help people with diabetes and make their lives easier,” says Catherine. “That would have been a relief when I was diagnosed! I’ve been using Medtronic’s InPen which links up to the Simplera CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor). It records all my insulin doses and even helps me calculate how many units I need to inject for my meal, taking into account how many active insulin units I have from previous doses. These calculations definitely stressed me out in the first few years of my diagnosis.” 

Surfing with Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is notoriously difficult to balance – with blood sugar changing day to day. These changes are linked to what you eat and how much insulin you inject, but also a result of stress, sleep, hormones and even fluctuations in the weather. How does Catherine balance all these variables while out in the ocean, surfing competitively?

“The main challenge is knowing what my sugars are doing,” she explains. “When I surf, I could be out at backline for 2 to 3 hours at a time. I need to make sure that my sugars don’t go too low. I’ve found that using a CGM gives me far more confidence in knowing that my sugars are stable before I rush out to enjoy the waves.”

Words of wisdom

What advice would she offer to other people with diabetes who are struggling? “Diabetes does not limit your potential. You can still do anything everyone else does: just learn how your body reacts and have a strong network supporting you.”

And finally, what is it that makes surfing superstar Catherine’s life sweet? “Spending time and surfing with my friends who are such an amazing support.”

Inspiring stories of people thriving with diabetes

Sweet Life is an online diabetes community that empowers people to live healthier, happier lives. We do that through easy-to-understand information about healthy eating, exercise, mental health and the basics of diabetes. Read more inspiring stories and join our community on Facebook and Instagram. Or access the Sweet Life Chatbot on WhatsApp and find answers to your diabetes questions on www.sweetlife.org.za 

Images credit: 

1. @karl_liebenberg
2. @profarazzi_surf
3. @kodymcgregor