ranklin Lakes, NJ (September 1, 2004)-2004 Olympic gold medal winner in 50-meter freestyle swimming, Gary Hall Jr., partners with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE:BDX), one of the world's largest makers of diabetes care products, to help educate Americans about good diabetes care.
"Diabetes management is like swimming; it's up to the individual. People with diabetes can easily access the tools and information they need to ensure a healthy life," says nine-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall Jr., who has Type I diabetes. "I won the Olympic gold medal because I am healthy and in top competitive shape thanks to help from BD. BD insulin syringes, pen needles and lancets help me manage my diabetes easily and comfortably so that I can focus on my swimming."
Diabetes affects more than 18 million Americans today and more than 5 million of them go undiagnosed according to the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes is the sixth largest cause of death in the U.S. and the leading cause of blindness in Americans ages 20-74. Type I diabetes, like Hall's, accounts for between five and ten percent of the total people with diabetes; Type II diabetes accounts for the remainder.
"BD is proud to join forces with Gary Hall. We see him as an inspiration to all people with diabetes because every day he proves that diabetes is not a limitation to a dream," says Bill Marshall, President, Diabetes Care, BD Medical. "We hope to help people with diabetes understand that, like Gary, they can take control of their disease-they just need the right tools, information and support."
Hall will be the national spokesperson for BD's insulin delivery products and will be partnering with the company on a nationwide education initiative immediately following the 2004 Games.
"Injecting insulin can be intimidating for someone who has never done it before," says Hall, who has used BD products since he was first diagnosed with diabetes in 1999. "With BD insulin syringes and pen needles, my injections are virtually pain free. That's important to me since I inject insulin six to eight times a day on a regular day and as many as 10 to 12 times a day before a competition." The long-term health of a person with diabetes comes down to how closely that person controls their blood sugar. Insulin therapy is part of an overall diabetes management approach that includes appropriate nutrition, frequent blood glucose monitoring and exercise.
