From Rebellious to Transformative: Alex’s Journey with Type 1 Diabetes

03/12/25 • 46 min

Alex Burket believes that his bout with bacterial meningitis in middle school may have saved his life, because it led to the discovery of his type 1 diabetes. Although meningitis resolved in about a month, diabetes would become a constant companion. 17 years later, Alex has learned a tremendous amount about living with this disease, in a journey that has gone from rebellious to transformative.

Alex is the host of the Rise to the Challenge podcast, where he speaks with athletes, CEOs, entrepreneurs, recovering addicts and more, sharing stories of overcoming obstacles. Facing challenges is Alex’s passion, he enjoys pushing himself out of his comfort zone to see what he can achieve. Doing so while balancing type 1 diabetes requires a level of discipline that Alex worked hard to cultivate.

In this episode of the Major Pain podcast, Alex discusses his history with type 1 diabetes. We discuss what it was like to be diagnosed at such a young age, including the feeling of isolation this brought about. He talks us through his rebellious phase, where he pushed his body to the limit and fought against his diagnosis. He also discusses his transformation in the last 6 or 7 years, where a renewed focus on nutrition and fitness changed his body and mind for the better, developing the discipline to live harmoniously with his disease.

Connect with Alex online: https://linktr.ee/alexburket

PlayWatch on YouTube, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

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Connect with Alex online: https://linktr.ee/alexburket

PlayWatch on YouTube, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

AFFILIATE LINKS
RARE PATIENT VOICE: https://rarepatientvoice.com/MajorPainPodcast
AMAZON SHOP: https://www.amazon.com/shop/majorpainpodcast
NEURAHEALTH: https://www.neurahealth.co/majorpain

Previous Episode

How Chronic Pain Led Pallavi to Holistic Wellness

Pallavi’s journey through chronic pain began with physical agony, but led to spiritual transformation. She grew up in India with a deep love of dance that had turned into a passionate career in her early 20s. On a fateful day about 6 months after her marriage in 2011, she fell from her bike while racing her cousins and went sliding down the road. This accident ended her dance career, leaving her in extreme pain that did not improve with time, baffling her doctors. Pallavi’s situation expanded far beyond chronic pain – it became mysteriously difficult for her to use the right side of her body. She struggled to sleep, get out of bed and feed herself. Doctors had no idea how to help her, prescribing a large cocktail of medications out of desperation.

Pallavi’s turning point came when she overheard a doctor saying that she wasn’t actually in pain, and just wanted attention. This made her extremely angry, and she vowed to find a way to overcome this mysterious affliction. Pallavi began to learn everything she could about energy healing and holistic wellness. She soon realized that the more she meditated, the less pain she was in. After around 3.5 months of meditation, she was pain free.

On this episode of the Major Pain podcast, Pallavi shares how her harrowing journey with chronic pain has fueled her new purpose in life: to lead people with chronic pain and chronic illness through holistic wellness practices. She tells us about getting diagnosed with fibromyalgia several years after her accident, finally having a name to put to her mysterious pain. She also discusses the deep spiritual journey that resulted from this experience, learning to listen to ancient wisdom that helped transform her life. She now provides a healing space as a meditation, yoga and energy healing practitioner.

Learn more about Pallavi’s wellness program at https://www.highlivingwellness.com/

PlayWatch the episode on YouTube, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

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Next Episode

Sarah Fox on the Intersection of Mental Health and Faith

Since being diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, Sarah Fox has made it her mission to break down the stigma surrounding mental health. She is the host of the Rough Edges podcast, which provides tools for mental health education and examines the intersection between faith and mental health. Sarah’s faith journey has been an integral part of her bipolar journey, in fact her diagnosis initially triggered a crisis of faith that she has since overcome.

In January of 2021, Sarah experienced a severe manic episode. This involved disruptions in her sleep, incoherent thoughts and psychosis, with both auditory and visual hallucinations. Her memories of this time are hazy, but she does remember feeling a powerful sense of euphoria, like she was on top of the world. As this manic episode increased in intensity Sarah became aggressive, at which point her family decided to have her hospitalized. During her three week stay in the hospital Sarah was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and the severity of her manic episode qualified her as type 1.

In this episode of the Major Pain podcast, Sarah discusses how her bipolar diagnosis transformed her life, initially turning her world upside down. Her prior knowledge of bipolar had a negative connotation due to poor representation in popular media, and to be diagnosed with this disease triggered not only a crisis of faith but also an identity crisis. She suddenly had to re-contextualize everything she thought about herself, but the resulting transformation has brought her to a place of stability in both her bipolar journey and her faith. Through her mental health advocacy work she endeavors to spread a message of hope, proving it is possible to thrive with bipolar.

Connect with Sarah and check out the Rough Edges podcast at https://www.roughedgespodcast.com/

PlayWatch the episode on YouTube, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.