Diabetics Doing A Future with Hope with Carl Armato

[00:00:08] Rob Howe: Welcome to the Diabetics Doing Things podcast. We've been telling the amazing stories of type 1 diabetics all across the world since 2015, and we have over a thousand years of living with T1D on the podcast. The interviews range from incredible feats to everyday victories, and we celebrate them all just the same. Thanks for listening, and if you want to get involved even further, just send me an email. at rob at diabeticsdoingthings.com. Okay, we're going to try something new today because today's guest, today's episode, I've had too many cups of coffee this morning. Today's episode is sponsored by the guest. In his new self-titled book, A Future with Hope, Novant Health President and CEO Carl Armato discusses how being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 18 months old ignited a passion for a career in healthcare. In A Future with Hope, now available on Amazon, Carl discusses leading one of the largest healthcare systems in the Southeast through the patient's lens, offering a unique perspective for healthcare leaders. Diseases like diabetes can bring a whirlwind of emotions, as we all know. And those who are diagnosed often seek reassurance that everything will be okay. Carl's message as an adult who is diagnosed with type 1 at such an early age can be a helpful tool to encourage others working to live their best life with the disease. My conversation with Carl that's coming up was extremely enlightening just to see a guy who has overcome so much in his life with diabetes and really giving back as an example and a leader. So it's very cool. In addition to practical experience in dieting, sugar monitoring, and exercise, Carl offers a first-hand perspective with tips on maintaining a positive outlook through it all, which I'm also really, really big on. A Future with Hope blends personal moments and realizations with raw and honest insights that are applicable to both recently diagnosed type 1 diabetes patients and families or those who have been living with type 1 diabetes for a long time. So it's for everyone. I think it's going to be very insightful, and I'm really looking forward to picking it up. The book is available for purchase now on Amazon, so just visit Amazon.com and search A Future With Hope. Hello and welcome back to another episode of Diabetics Doing Things. We're telling the amazing stories of people with diabetes from all across the world. And my very special guest today is Carl Armato. Carl, welcome to the show.

[00:02:34] Carl Armato: Oh, thank you. Happy to be here. Look forward to our conversation.

[00:02:38] Rob Howe: Likewise. And I don't want to bury the lead too much. Carl, you are the CEO of Novant Health, and you've been a type 1 diabetic for almost all of your life.

[00:02:48] Carl Armato: Correct, correct. I was diagnosed at 18 months of age with type 1 diabetes, one of the early diagnoses in the small community that I grew up in. And I don't want to out you on your age here, but what year were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed, let's see, I'm okay with outing me on my age. I'm 53. Okay. If you can think about me being 18 months old and at a time when really the – when people were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I just remember my parents, the shock that they were in and the stories that they told me. because what they heard was that people back in 50 years ago, plus, were really type 1 diabetes was almost somewhat of an unfortunate diagnosis that ended in death for them. They were told that, you know, maybe 20 years, maybe 30 years, I'd be lucky. People that had had type 1 diabetics, they heard those stories. So my parents were obviously frightened. They were full of anxiety. But I can tell you that the biggest opportunity that I experienced was a family that rallied as a support team that began to be there for me to ensure that I could live a life and realize the dreams that every young person would have and every adult would have later in life.

[00:04:27] Rob Howe: And I think that's so important and often a key that we really don't have much control over. I think, you know, obviously we don't get to control who our family is and how we responded to often really life-changing situations like type 1 diabetes. Do you remember, you know, your family adjusting? Do you remember any specifics about, you know, your parents and the decisions that they had to make? Obviously, the technology was very different back then, and it's actually amazing to see how far we've come over the course of 50 years. But do you remember anything specific from those early days?

[00:05:04] Carl Armato: Well, absolutely. Well, first you have to give credit to my mother, who at 18 months old, I had an older brother, but she knew something wasn't right. And she kept taking me back to our pediatrician at the time in a little small town. And the pediatrician continued to tell my mother that she was just an overly concerned mom. So he didn't do a quick blood glucose test. And my mom just kept taking me back. And at one point, the pediatrician was out of town, so she took me to her family physician. And he ran a blood glucose test. And obviously, my blood sugar was off through the charts. And so it was without my mom having that and wanting that second opinion, my story could have turned out differently. But the one thing from there is my diagnosis at that young age was really hard on them. My mom was afraid of needles. She didn't really understand the disease. There was very little information that she had. And if you think about back in, you know, over 50 years ago, when I was diagnosed, there were no glucometers. I mean, we didn't measure blood sugar at home. And there were no pumps that automatically injected insulin. So when you think about the lack of technology, my mom monitored me. And I can remember as a young kid, we then began to monitor my glucose levels using a chemistry set. But so if you can think about testing your wastewater is how you try to just estimate what your blood sugar might be and then try to figure out the insulin diagnosis or the insulin that you were going to give that particular day was really, really difficult. But I'll tell you what happened. My mom educated herself. My mom, my dad, they educated themselves. they went and sat down with some experts on type 1 diabetes. They started to really figure out how they were going to face the challenges of me being a type 1 diabetic. And then I just remember that whole family. Later, my younger brother joined the family. The five of us were always living life as if we were all type 1s. I mean, the foods we ate, the way they cooked, the diet, the exercise, and all the things that we did together, they were really rallied behind me to help me not only thrive, but they really began to show me that there was a way to live a healthy lifestyle and overcome some of the obstacles that I was facing. So they introduced me in the sports at an early age, which really got me engaged in exercise, and whether that was baseball or tennis or doing things. And obviously I had some difficulties monitoring blood sugars, and I would have lows. And I just remember how they would be there for me, though, if I gave them a signal that I needed something sweet to help me get my blood sugar up or I wasn't feeling right. they would just be there for me to ensure that I really could participate. And really, in my mind, be more normal than not. And so I have to really give them a lot of credit to them in those early days of figuring out how to deal with type 1 diabetes when they really didn't have a lot of technology to overcome some of the challenges we were facing.

[00:08:47] Rob Howe: well and I think it's such an important part of treatment of type 1 diabetes right and I think in taking that ownership and I want to focus on a little bit of you know you mentioned that your parents did the research and they went out and sought out experts of type 1 diabetes back then that's not as simple as making a google search it's not as simple as even going to the library Right. So, you know, those types of that type of commitment takes serious effort. And, you know, I want to applaud people who are listening and say, you know, if you feel like you're turning over, you know, stone after stone and not finding what you need, that they're still, you know, keep keep pushing and keep trying to find it and embrace that search. Because you never know who the right person is going to be. And when you hear it, you know, really resonate with you and your family. So talking a little bit about sports, because that's my background as well. I certainly have my fair share of experiences with high blood sugars going into basketball games that I was just too amped up for. And, you know, impacting my performance or having to pull myself out of a college practice. I know that you experienced a little bit of trials on the sports side, maybe with some coaches early on. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?

[00:10:06] Carl Armato: I do, and I think back in the day when I was coming up, particularly as I got into middle school, there was just such a lack of understanding of diabetes, particularly among a lot of the coaches and teachers that I interacted with. And I can tell you about the one story that has always stuck with me. Obviously, I tried to manage it well so that when I was in an event, a sporting activity, I could still really perform at the absolute, you know, the best I possibly could. And I had a new coach that joined the middle school that I was participating in. And I ended up, my mom had really asked me, you need to really talk to your coach about being a type 1 diabetic. And I usually hadn't done that in the past because I really didn't want it to be about type 1. I wanted it to be about my performance. But this time I decided I'm going to have that conversation with the coach, and I'm going to make sure he knows that I'm a type 1 diabetic, and I'll let him know if I needed any assistance. But after that conversation, I noticed that as I would go in the games, I was the starting point guard for the basketball team. and I found myself after a few rounds of up and down the court that he would pull me out for a rest. And then I noticed that he was a little, you know, always asking me if I was okay, and I was one of the few on the team that he would have that conversation with. So it really, it concerned me that, okay, I'm trying to be transparent with my coaches, with my teachers, but I don't want to be treated differently. So I began to really, it really stunned me at that young age to start, maybe I shouldn't be as transparent with my type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Because what happened is a new coach came in during that year and I didn't tell the individual that I was a type 1 and I was starting point guard again. So I never forgot that. But I will tell you that that was a mistake for me because later in life I learned that by really helping, what I should have done is help that coach, maybe help with education, help him understand the impact on me on running up and down the court or the impact that my blood sugar could have on the game itself or my performance. And I think he would have been better understanding in maybe not just trying to shelter me. So I learned that you really need people. You need that support group around you. So transparency is probably much more important than I gave it back in those younger years.

[00:13:09] Rob Howe: I would definitely echo that. I think for me personally, I was very fortunate that when I was choosing colleges to go play basketball, all, my parents were very, they really believed strongly that we should be upfront with the training staff and with the universities about my diabetes. And that also that I wasn't going to have any problems, more of just creating awareness so that if something were to go wrong, there were people would know and be ready to plan for it. But then later on in my career, as I transitioned to the professional side, my basketball skills, the difference between me and the next 1,000 guys was not very much. So my agent actually was like, Rob, you can't tell them that you have type 1 diabetes, not because of a bias against diabetes, but anything that's going to prevent them from or going to make them do more work for you as a rookie is going to work against you in the long run. So actually, in my first professional gig, I didn't tell anyone that I had type 1. and had to completely manage it in a silo kind of on my own until I developed a relationship with one of the trainers and kind of had that conversation with them. So, yeah, I totally echo that. Be upfront with it and understand that, you know, there's a little bit of education that comes along with doing what's best for you with diabetes, and sometimes that education is telling your coach, hey, I can do all this stuff, just keep an eye out on me, and I'll let you know if there's anything wrong.

[00:14:40] Carl Armato: No, I think you're so right with that. I could, you know, later in life as I started to, you know, you go through high school and you get to college and then later in life you're, I just thought, I felt like once people knew and they understood that I would, you know, really giving them the understanding of what to look out for, things to watch me do or not do was important. And then people, they really respected that transparency, and they respected the vulnerability of you sharing the type 1 diagnosis with them. So I agree with you, Rob. I think it's really that support and that transparency that helps us all thrive later as we start to get comfortable with it.

[00:15:25] Rob Howe: So let's talk a little bit about vulnerability because I think it's an important part of life with type 1. And for me personally, I believe people are diagnosed twice in their life with diabetes, once when the doctor tells them and once when they realize that they accept it into their life and either in an outreach perspective or just say, hey, I do have diabetes and this is part of who I am and that's okay. Let's talk a little bit about it for young men, though. Specifically in my space, the diabetes advocate and outreach on social media space, it's about 80-20 female to male in terms of people to follow for you know to tell their stories I wrote an article for Beyond Type 1 a couple years ago talking about T1D and manhood and how it takes a little bit of vulnerability to just admit that you have something that you have to manage and not in a way that you know is makes you feel less than or makes you feel like you have a disability, but it can be a little bit of an ego check for young men out there. How did you, because now I'm going to out you, you're the CEO of Novant Health, which is a fantastic health system. You've had an amazing career. How did you overcome that diabetes weight in your professional life to keep you motivated to accomplish your dreams?

[00:16:50] Carl Armato: You know, I'm going to start early because what you're just highlighting for young men that are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it's very tough and difficult to start to talk about that vulnerability. I'll even take you back to early in my dating life. And, you know, you start to get really close to someone that you think might could be the one. And then you have to, you know, as you're getting closer and closer, you begin to talk about the condition that you have, the type 1 diabetes. And, you know, in some cases back in the day when I was trying to have that conversation, people were afraid of that. And somewhat, I actually had a girlfriend or two would say, you know, I'm not really, I'm not up for that. But luckily, I found the woman of my dreams. My wife, Christy, has been remarkable because she never saw me as a type 1 diabetic. She always saw me as an individual that had courage and that was really looking to build and fight for dreams and wanted to achieve things that maybe many didn't think were possible. So I start early with young men having to deal with some of the vulnerability of being a type 1 diabetic. But then you hit the work life and you hit the environment where people are competing. I started out in – at the time, it was Big Eight accounting. And I'm a CPA and an MBA. And you can imagine you're trying not to show your vulnerability in those early days of trying to prove yourself as a leader, as a person that's building a career. And you're trying to just help people stay focused on the performance and what you're delivering, the value that you're producing. And so you don't really want to talk about it. And I found myself catching myself over and over wanting to not want anyone to know that I was a type 1 diabetic because it might get in the way of how people might view my progression with the company or my progression in health care. are. And then I realized something. I remembered something that my dad had taught me many years ago. He took that type 1 diabetes as a young man, and he helped me not internalize it as much and really look to help others. And then that's what really led me into my journey into healthcare. because now I don't shield myself from talking about being a type 1 diabetic. And throughout my career now at Novant Health, it's been remarkable to be able to have a unique perspective, being as part of a health system that can really help so many people and impact so many individuals. So I want you to think about me as an individual. every meeting I enter into, every decision that I make with my team. It's with the eyes of someone that has a chronic disease, someone with type 1 diabetes that I believe helps me to be a better healthcare leader and allows me to truly keep our patients and the patient experience and their impact at the forefront of all decisions. So I'm really excited about that. I think it gives me a little bit of an advantage to not think as an administrator, not think about the numbers all the time, but be more open and transparent about what do patients need, what do consumers need. And I'm happy to tell you today we serve more than 90,000 people with diabetes. And it's exciting to see that and watch the impact on that. But again, so Rob, I think it's really, over time, it's been a challenge coming through and trying to be vulnerable and share in a transparent way about the disease and then refocusing it on how do you use it to help others. That's really the point I wanted to make.

[00:21:20] Rob Howe: No, I think the point was really well made. I think even for myself personally, the goal of this podcast and outreach is to help one person. And as long as that remains the goal, more people will continue to be helped by that. I wanted to echo what you also said about being, you know, looking at everything through the eyes of a person with a chronic illness. I think that helps you distill what's so what's important so much easier than someone without it. And thinking of my life with diabetes only 14 years in, and then comparing that to you with 50 years plus of living with diabetes, and the ability that that time and work has on your life to shift perspective. and so I think you know for me as from a health perspective I look at what you and your parents went through early on and what you certainly went on or went through in your teens and 20s and 30s before diabetes technology really took the giant leaps forward that it has taken today and I look at your life and it's like and you have been successful in spite of that that gives me so much hope as a patient with less than 15 years that hey the next 40 years things are going to to be moving so much faster forward than they did previously. And look at all the great things that, and all the great lives that other people with type 1 diabetes who have gone before me are living. And I think that's, you know, from a patient perspective, I'm looking for, I'm looking forward to that, to a life with diabetes that I don't have to be afraid of. And also learning from the experiences of people who have been living for, you know, half a century with a disease that they have a whole lot of perspective on.

[00:23:04] Carl Armato: that's awesome Rob because I think you just really summarize why I'm so excited about talking to you and and then other type 1 diabetics that are out there the impact that we can have on people that can really show show that hope and really help them see that they can accomplish anything they want to. And I really help, you know, I'm hoping that people can see that what I try to do is when I hear, at least when I heard that I couldn't do something because of my diagnosis, or it might be too hard, or maybe I should take a different path. I'm here to say that, yes, you can. And we should help people say, yes, they can, as they start to look at

[00:23:51] Rob Howe: what dreams they want to realize. Well, and I think that's a great transition into the next piece of our interview, because somehow when you are, you know, living, living your life and running a thriving health system, you found the time to sit down and write a book, which is now out, A Future with Hope. Talk about, talk a little bit about the book. Tell us, just give us a little bit of the insider preview. And then what was that like, you know, having to balance, you know, professional and family life, and then also pursue that creative exploration?

[00:24:28] Carl Armato: Yeah, I'll start with why I decided to write the book, because I think it's an interesting story. You know, I was at an event where I had the privilege of being honored by the Triad Region Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. And it was a time where they honored me for having 50, my 50-year journey with type 1 diabetes. And after the event, I actually used that opportunity to talk about hope. And I talked about a path of how you could thrive with diabetes. And after the event, a young girl, well, there was a line of young adults who probably had had diabetes for 10 years or more, but they were in their young teens or 20s. And this young girl came up to me with tears in her eyes, saying that she hadn't heard anyone be so positive about thriving with diabetes. And I have to tell you, it was that moment. It was that moment I decided to write the book. And I'll tell you why. I had actually been taking notes for years for my grandchildren or people down the road that might be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in my family. And I was worried about them maybe not having or being able to see the experiences that I would have experienced. And it might not be something you can learn in their physician's office or through an education process. So I took those notes. And it was that young girl when she came up to me with the tears in her eyes that made me believe that my story could help others today. And so I started putting my story together about not only from the early diagnosis, the support group of what my parents and my brothers, how they supported me through all the, whether it was sporting events and growing up. And I talked about my career, how I really managed that in that process. And throughout those years, I talked about the different technologies that I had to work with. And then I even come to today, and I bring it to real time of being the CEO of Novant Health and how that helped me as I start to look at helping others in their fight, not only with diabetes but with other chronic diseases across our vast footprint. So the book really was simply about how do we help people today to know that really I'm an example, that they can accomplish anything they want to and to really fight for their dreams because there are going to be a lot of roadblocks. blocks. There may even be a lot of people that tell them they ought to take a simpler path or a different path. And I'm just here to say that you can realize your dreams. You can accomplish whatever you want to do in life. And I hope you use my experience and my story to help you with that motivation that you might need. So really, the book is about hope.

[00:27:48] Rob Howe: Well, I love it. And I think now, you know, more than ever, that's the message that we need to continue to spread about type 1 diabetes and living a living a life full of hope and promise. And, you know, I hope that the book, you know, reaches people and connects with them on a way that they had not been able to connect with before. And, you know, really, like you said earlier, that lens of just helping people realize, you know, what's possible with their life with diabetes. I hope it hope it really resonates with them. Well, thank you, Rob. And I tell you what,

[00:28:23] Carl Armato: It's on Amazon. You can go on Carl Armato, and the book is A Future with Hope, and it's an opportunity for people. What I'm finding is more people that read it, they talk about how somehow in life you hit a roadblock or you hit a challenge, and that whether you've got type 1 diabetes or not, it's an opportunity to show how hope is there and paths to really realizing dreams. And so I hope people do purchase the book and I appreciate your comments about it.

[00:28:58] Rob Howe: Of course. And yeah, the book is on Amazon. We will include links to the book on Amazon in the show notes and also on social media when we post the podcast episode. Carl, I do ask the same question to all of my guests on my podcast, and I'm really excited to hear your answer, especially as a guy who's traveled a lot. So context is really important. You got to bear with me here. So you're in an airport and they're about to close the door to your gate. But before and whatever's on the other end of this flight, you can't miss it. It's some sort of, you know, life or death, act of God type of meeting on the other end. And you bump into somebody who has either been recently diagnosed or has been struggling with their life with type 1 diabetes. in the 30 seconds before they shut the door to your gate, what's the one thing that you tell that person?

[00:29:53] Carl Armato: Oh, I actually quickly tell them how there's nothing in life that they can't accomplish. I actually also let them know that I know what it feels like to wake up each day and still have diabetes. I know what it's like to monitor blood sugar. I know what it's like to have to watch what you eat and I know what it's like to acknowledge that you have fear and anxiety but what I do want you to hear is that there is a path and there is a future for people with type 1 diabetes to absolutely soar.

[00:30:32] Rob Howe: I love that. I love the idea of opportunity. It's not closing opportunity, it just opens another door to more opportunity. It's great. Carl thank you so much for joining us this morning this morning on World Diabetes Day of all days just a great way for me to start my day it's great to meet you and get connected with you and I look forward to all the things that you're going to do personally as well as through Novant Health for people with diabetes again the book is A Future with Hope and we'll include links to it in the show notes

[00:31:03] Carl Armato: Rob thank you and look I'm so impressed with you ensuring that people with type 1 diabetes is have information and education. And so anything I can do to help you in the future, I'm here. So let me know. Today's episode is sponsored by The Guest.

[00:31:19] Rob Howe: In his new self-titled book, A Future with Hope, Novant Health President and CEO Carl Armato discusses how being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 18 months old ignited a passion for a career in health care. In A Future with Hope, now available on Amazon, Carl discusses leading one of the largest healthcare systems in the Southeast through the patient's lens, offering a unique perspective for healthcare leaders. Diseases like diabetes can bring a whirlwind of emotions, as we all know. And those who are diagnosed often seek reassurance that everything will be okay. Carl's message, as an adult who is diagnosed with type 1 at such an early age, can be a helpful tool to encourage others working to live their best life with the disease. My conversation with Carl that's coming up was extremely enlightening, just to see a guy who has overcome so much in his life with diabetes and really giving back as an example and a leader. So it's very cool. In addition to practical experience in dieting, sugar monitoring, and exercise, Carl offers a firsthand perspective with tips on maintaining a positive outlook through it all, which I'm also really, really big on.