Episode 73: Public Enemy Type One

Earl steps up to the mic from Cape Town, South Africa!

Earl is a self-taught musician (from keys, to strings etc.) and came of age during the greatest era of hip hop and at a time in South Africa there were many messages in music around oppression and apartheid and such. Earl is a hip-hop head.

Earl was diagnosed with T1D in 2012 at the age of 26 while in the U.S. He is a husband, a cat-dad and the youngest of 3.

Earl works in Public Health with a primary focus is infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, violent injuries and

HIV/AIDS.

When Earl was diagnosed at 26 it changed the full trajectory of his life. Leading up to his diagnosis Earl recalls noticing

three months prior that he was getting low symptoms. He realized while working a few hours after breakfast he would

get shaky and start to sweat until he would eat. After that stopped, he started getting all the signs of hyperglycemia

such as the frequent urination, itchy skin, irritation etc.

Four days before leaving for the US he was pulled over

for driving erratic. He just felt mad all the time before his formal diagnosis. The cop left him with a warning.

On this episode Earl gifts us some light on how things are around the globe and healthcare programs. We also speak greatly about our ancestors and our heritage and culture.

Earl's greatest advice about living with T1D is, "Don't live in isolation!"

Follow Earl on Instagram @Earl952