When Reece Parkinson decided to quit BBC Radio 1Xtra after seven years at the helm of a very popular Drivetime show, fans were disappointed but showed their love and support.
He took to Twitter to let them know that he would be leaving BBC Radio 1Xtra on the 27th of March, and told of his time as an intern at 21 and gaining his first on-air show at 23.
He added that his seven years on air has been “incredible” and thanked the management, staff, and his loyal listeners.
Fans wondered what he was going to do next. Many DJs leave for other radio stations or make the successful move into TV presenting. Not Reece. You might be surprised by what he’s heading off to do next, though…
A whole new career in a brand new industry
Back in 2020, Reece was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and this led to him making some serious lifestyle changes. The first of these was sadly pulling out of an ultra-marathon he’d been training to run in. His struggles were documented in a moving film he made for the BBC, called ‘How to Run 50 Miles’, and showcased his inspiring story to all his fans.
Speaking at the start of this week, Reece has opened up and told everyone he’s now decided on a totally different career path and is going to make the move into healthcare and life sciences!
Commenting on the change via Twitter the radio host expressed his pride in joining this “world class team” to work on treating serious diseases by helping to develop transformative medicines.
Over the coming months and years, he hopes to start learning more about how science and technology can help and assist those with diabetes – meaning that they can live more fulfilling and less restricted lives, especially where food and drink is concerned.
What is Type 1 Diabetes?
There are two different types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 Diabetes means that your pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin. The carbohydrates that you consume from your diet every day will still be broken down by your body and turned into glucose. However, there’s no insulin to allow it into your body’s cells when the glucose enters your bloodstream, and because of this your blood sugar steadily gets higher and higher. Left undiagnosed and untreated it can lead to severe health complications.
Type 2 Diabetes is still about having high blood sugar, but more often than not this can be controlled by dietary changes, weight loss, and cutting back on alcohol. Type 2 Diabetes can sometimes be reversed, meaning that so long as you keep your healthy diet and lifestyle in place, you should be able to carry on your life as normal – so long as you check your blood sugar from time to time.
Managing and caring for your health if you’ve been diagnosed with the condition is hassle-free if you let Making Diabetes Easier help you with your blood sugar journey. Their technology and devices mean that looking after yourself is a cinch.
We wish Reece all the best with his new career and are sure that he’ll be helping to change the lives of others with diabetes for the better, very soon.