life on the road can be challenging at the best of times.
for award-winning country music star george canyon, the real difficulty isn’t finding a bed, eating a decent meal, or getting enough exercise. it’s type 1
diabetes.
the autoimmune disease, which usually develops in children and teens, targets and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. without insulin, sugar increases in the blood rather than being used for energy.
receiving a diagnosis can be followed by a lifetime of carefully monitoring one’s weight, diet, cholesterol, stress level, and physical activity – none of which is easy for a young person to comprehend.
canyon, who was diagnosed at 14, has spent much of his life chasing dreams and pushing the limits of what’s possible. when he was told that due to his
diabetes he would never realize his goal of becoming a royal canadian air force pilot his world was turned upside down.
“all i wanted to be was an air force pilot. when i got my diagnosis, i didn’t know what i was going to do with my life. i was pretty distraught about it,” recalls canyon, a nova scotia native who now calls alberta home. “i’m the type of guy who likes to focus on a goal and then attain it.”
pivoting into music, he garnered international attention in 2004 as runner-up on the popular nashville star television series, going on to win country recording of the year at the 2005 and 2007 juno awards. for good measure, he’s added seven canadian country music association awards from more than two-dozen nominations.