Pumped up about life

CASEY RESSLER

Frontiersman Valley Life Editor

Since Adele Morgan got an insulin pump 1 1/2 years ago, the diabetic singer has touted the many positive qualities to other diabetics. Now, she is getting paid to do it.

Last week, Morgan signed a national endorsement contract with Medtronics/MiniMed, one of the largest medical device manufacturers in the country. Morgan is going to be traveling around the country, performing songs off her latest CD and extolling the virtues of the insulin pump to medical professionals and patients at trade shows in Chicago, San Diego and Phoenix.

"I did insulin shots for 17 years, and after a couple of hours after I first used my pump, I couldn't help but cry and laugh and wonder why I hadn't done it sooner. It really changed my life," Morgan said.

Morgan is a Type I diabetic, meaning her body does not produce insulin. That is perhaps the most simple way of explaining an extremely complex medical condition. Type I diabetics need insulin - either through injections, or through a pump.

"The pump has given me way more freedom. For me, singing and speaking all the time in public, it's scary to think about having an insulin reaction in public," Morgan said. "Now, I'm not afraid of having those reactions. For me, at least, the pump is so much better than shot therapy. It has given me way more freedom.

"It's made things a lot more stable for me. I really want diabetics to know that there is a another way of doing things other than shots, and it can be much better," Morgan said. "We were just in Hawaii. I had four concerts there, and one when we got back. I wasn't worried about having an insulin reaction at all."

Morgan knows firsthand how scary an insulin reaction can be, especially when performing. She even has what she calls her "Insulin Song" - Lynyrd Skynyrds's "Sweet Home Alabama."

"One time we were doing a concert in a church, and I had an insulin reaction right there," Morgan said. "I turned around to Dean [Mingus, the drummer] and told him, 'You guys are going to have to play. I can't do this.' He busted out a great rendition of 'Sweet Home Alabama,' and that's kind of been my insulin song, I guess."

Morgan would tell anyone who will listen about all the positives the pump affords her - before she ever signed a contract. Now, getting paid to do it, and being able to sing nationally, make things even sweeter for Morgan.

"It was really weird how it all worked out," Morgan explained. "They found my Web site on the Internet, and a lady called me from Medtronics and was asking about my music. She bought a CD from me, and I didn't quite get what she was up to. About two weeks later, she e-mailed me and said they really loved my music and would like to interview me.

"They asked me if I was comfortable about speaking in public about my pump, and of course I said no," Morgan said. "Then she asked if I had done any public speaking, and just that very day, I was a speaker at a graduation, at Alaska Job Corps."

After a week, Morgan got the call she never expected would come - a contract offer to be a national spokesperson for an insulin pump manufacturer.

"I'm not going to be super rich or anything, but it's something I believe in," Morgan said.

After hiring a lawyer to look over the contract and negotiating with Medtronics/MiniMed, Morgan became the first national spokesperson the company signed.

"It's not like you have a lot of leverage unless you are Michael Jordan," Morgan said.

Morgan will be in Chicago next weekend for a medical conference, where there will be a mix of medical professionals and patients. She will sing on the main stage for 15 minutes and talk about her experiences as a diabetic and about the MiniMed pump on the main stage for another 15 minutes, and then she will be at the company's booth talking to people. There will be an estimated 6,000 people there, Morgan said.

Her contract calls for personal appearances in Phoenix on April 30 and in San Diego for the ADA national meeting on June 11.

"I'm getting to sing nationally, and talk to people about something that has changed my life," Morgan said. "This is perfect."