I hope this means that no one's dreams of being a pilot will be cut short by type 1 diabetes. I am grateful for all the work done by my father, Diabetes Canada, my health-care team, and especially those pilots with type 1 diabetes who have trail-blazed since the '90s. When I told him about some of the policy stances Transport Canada was taking, he encouraged us to get involved with the Diabetes Canada advocacy group to help with our case. Peter Senior at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic. The pilot is a collaboration as well as us helping services to move forwards on their improvement journey, we hope that services can help us improve the. How did you connect with Diabetes Canada?Īusten: Through my endocrinologist Dr. Pilots who had gotten or kept their licences had been diagnosed after pilots, and continued to work following successful appeals and risk assessments performed by themselves and Transport Canada. After learning that there were pilots with type 1 diabetes working in the airline industry, my father started digging into the rules and regulations around the medical guidelines. How long have you and your dad been talking to Transport Canada?Īusten: It has been nearly five years. It really made no sense to us.Īusten: Shortly after my diagnosis, I attended the diabetes transition program offered by the Stollery Children's Hospital, and was told that nearly every career opportunity was available to people like me-with the exception of military service and commercial piloting.
But no one who already was on insulin could do the same. Why is this policy decision such a big deal?Įd: Up until now, pilots who already had their commercial licence when they became insulin-dependent could apply for a medical certificate to keep flying. I had my mind set when I was around 12 years old that I was going to follow my dad’s path through the air force and then into the airlines.” We spoke to Austen, and his dad, Captain Ed McDonald, who have been advocating, with support from Diabetes Canada, for Transport Canada to change its policy. Contact Us Diabetes Pilot Home Contact Us Use the form below to contact us with any suggestions, questions, problems, or comments that you may have. The dietary program included educational presentations, weekly cooking demonstrations and small group discussions. Diagnosed with diabetes in 2011 when he was 14 years old, he says, “I've always wanted to fly. An 8-week pilot study was conducted to evaluate whether a mostly plant-based dietary program will lead to improvement in biochemical markers in adults with diabetes. He became the first Canadian with type 1 diabetes to receive a medical certificate from Transport Canada, allowing him to fly commercially. On February 11, 2019, 22-year-old Austen McDonald made history.
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