From Titanic to Diabetes Advocate: Victor Garber’s Inspiring Journey

Actor Victor Garber, best known for his role as Jack Dawson in the 1997 film Titanic, has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and has become an advocate to help others with diabetes manage their symptoms and live fulfilling lives. Read his inspiring story to learn how he’s staying positive while living with diabetes.

Raised in an Active Family

When you grow up with five siblings, a healthy lifestyle becomes a way of life. So it’s no surprise that both Victor and his brother, Paul (who played Dick Solomon on Soap and J. Peterman on Seinfeld), are die-hard fitness buffs. The brothers have done countless marathons together and have logged countless hours in boxing rings; they also take frequent hikes with their children.

While Busy, He Failed to Care For His Own Health

When Canadian-born actor Victor Garber Titanic, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes—the most serious form of the disease, where your body doesn’t produce insulin and you must rely on daily injections of it—he says he spent years struggling with symptoms ranging from chronic fatigue to weight gain. It is hard for anyone with a chronic illness or disability to think about life without it, he says. Your identity becomes defined by your illness. After years of searching for a cure and being told he would need insulin injections for life, he decided to take a different approach.

A Life-Changing Experience

Actor and activist Victor Garber has spent decades working in Hollywood. After rising to fame in films like Sleepless in Seattle and Titanic, he became a mainstay on TV series including Alias, The Flash, and even Disney Channel’s original movie franchise Camp Rock. But after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 50 years old, his perspective shifted. Since then, he’s become an outspoken advocate for people living with T1D, raising money for various diabetes organizations (including JDRF), and launching a line of sweet-tasting products that taste like sugary treats but are good for people with diabetes. In fact, since receiving his diagnosis 20 years ago, he hasn’t let it slow him down at all!

When Doctors Couldn’t Help Him, He Went on a Search for Answers

For many years, actor Victor Garber Titanic has lived with type 1 diabetes. When he started experiencing symptoms at age 12, doctors were stumped; it took three years for a diagnosis. Although he was put on insulin and told to monitor his blood sugar levels daily, he quickly realized that wouldn’t be enough for him. He wanted answers. Why did people die from diabetes? How could it be managed? What was happening in their bodies? Even though decades have passed since then, Garber says he still doesn’t know all of those answers—but in his quest for knowledge and help, he’s made strides toward understanding how living with diabetes can be easier on both mind and body.

The Work Continues …

In January, actor Victor Garber Titanic was diagnosed with diabetes. While he’s known for his acting career that spans five decades and multiple award-winning roles, like that of Jack Bristow on Alias or Jesus Christ in NBC’s A.D., now he’s becoming known for something else: his commitment to health advocacy through his diabetes diagnosis. Since learning of his condition, he has become a tireless advocate for living a healthy lifestyle. His efforts earned him an honorary doctorate from Memorial University in St. John’s Newfoundland recently, where he spoke on behalf of diabetes awareness…

Resources …

Let’s be honest, diabetes can be quite challenging. From managing your health, meal planning and exercise routines, there is a lot of information that we all need to know when coping with diabetes. Luckily there are lots of resources out there for people looking for help. But with so many options, how do you know which are reliable? …