Jeremy Robertson (@Type_1_Pilot on Instagram) joins the podcast from Sydney, Australia, to tell his amazing story of his diagnosis at age 30 and how his life drastically changed as a result. Growing up, Jeremy always dreamed of becoming a pilot, and made it his life's mission to fly. He was successful, and became a commercial airline pilot for Qantas Airlines, flying routes all over the world including routes from Sydney to Los Angeles regularly.
Though Type-1 Diabetes is always challenging, many of us continue on with our day-to-day lives & careers with few adjustments. But that wasn't the case for Jeremy. Type-1 Diabetics are not able to fly commercially (except in 2 countries), so Jeremy was forced to change careers in the middle of his life. He chose to enter the medical field in order to give back to the community and how he's helping to push change in aviation medicine, which is typically very conservative.
Jeremy and I talk in-depth about what it's like to fly a commercial aircraft, how he was able to press on after his diagnosis took away his life's dream of flying, the journey through medical school and how he's been able to apply his skills as a pilot, a doctor and a Type-1 Diabetic to help push for reform around the rules for Type-1 Diabetics to fly aircraft. Jeremy is now able to fly smaller aircraft in Australia along with some other T1Ds, and has promised me a flight if I ever make it to Sydney (which I'm determined to take him up on).
This was one of my favorite interviews, and Jeremy is one of the smartest, kindest and most giving people I've ever met, and I'm so fortunate to have met him. I hope you enjoy his interview. Jeremy also mentions a man named Douglas Cairns, who founded an organization called Flying With Diabetes, which I encourage you all to check out!
