Albie Morgan has experienced a big change in his life throughout the last few months - with the Blackpool midfielder currently learning to live with type 1 diabetes.
The 25-year-old, who made the move to Bloomfield Road from Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2023, was diagnosed with the condition towards the end of last year after experiencing a number of different symptoms.
After initially spending some time away from training to adapt to his change of situation, the London-born footballer has been able to quickly return to full action and has remained a key part of Steve Bruce’s plans at Bloomfield Road.
The 25-year-old, who made the move to Bloomfield Road from Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2023, was diagnosed with the condition towards the end of last year after experiencing a number of different symptoms.
After initially spending some time away from training to adapt to his change of situation, the London-born footballer has been able to quickly return to full action and has remained a key part of Steve Bruce’s plans at Bloomfield Road.
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SportsTranscript
00:00So Albie, of course, back in October, November, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
00:05Yeah, how has life been in the last few months and how has it changed?
00:10Yeah, obviously a bit different since obviously everything that happened, but
00:17now everyone here has been really good, my family, everyone around me, so
00:21made it easy for me to kind of transition into kind of this new lifestyle. But
00:29yeah, so far so good. I've got it under control quite well, getting the hang of it, still early-ish
00:34days. But yeah, just taking it day by day and the most important thing for me is that I can
00:40continue with my football and there's been no real issues with that so far, so hopefully it stays
00:45that way. How did the diagnosis come about? How did you find out? So whatever it was,
00:52I think it was around the Mansfield game.
00:59Just a lot of the symptoms I started to kind of pick up. It was going to the toilet and
01:05needing so much water every day, no real appetite. So there was quite a few things really, but
01:12the main one was the weight. I think I dropped quite a bit of weight in a quick amount of time
01:19and then, if I remember, I think it was the Wigan game. We were supposed to have Wigan
01:24and I spoke to a few people about obviously doing a little sugar level reading just to
01:31see where I was at and it was come back not very good. So I had to go to hospital, do loads of
01:39checks. They said obviously it could have been a lot worse if I'd left it maybe a couple more days.
01:46I think more to do with the football, I just wanted to kind of crack on. In myself,
01:52I wasn't feeling too bad. I was feeling all right. It was just all the other symptoms kind of around
01:58me was kind of playing its part and that's when I had to kind of go get checked really. So
02:08from then it's obviously been a lot different, but learning to kind of live with it for sure.
02:14Did you quickly realise then what it was or was it the staff here that sort of pointed it out to you?
02:18Yeah, a bit of both really. If I remember, it was a few people were saying it to me and I was
02:25thinking there's no way I can kind of have it. I think from a selfish point of view, I never really
02:34knew much about it myself. I never knew anyone that's kind of had it, so I kind of just
02:42assumed it was something else, not that. Obviously, the more you're at home, the more you're reading
02:48and stuff, it probably ain't the best thing to do, but come back with obviously all the symptoms
02:57kind of added up to what it was. So yeah, from then it was when I went to hospital, I kind of
03:03accepted what it was kind of thing and I knew what was coming. So from then, it was more just
03:10getting in the right headspace and getting around the fact that this is obviously going to be a big
03:16change, but for me, the football is the most important thing. So as long as I can do everything
03:20right, which makes me 100% for games, training, that was the most important thing.
03:27Was it hard in those early days thinking I'm a footballer, the healthiest lifestyle of anyone?
03:32Obviously, it's nothing to do with what you've done, but has that made it harder to think about
03:37Yeah, I think so. Like I said, from my point of view, I never,
03:42obviously now I know there's footballers that have it and kind of have had it for a while,
03:47whether that's recently or they've grown up with it. But yeah, from my point of view, I never knew
03:53kind of anyone that had it. So first thought was, I don't know if I'm going to be able to kind of
03:59play again, which was the worrying thing. So yeah, from my point of view, I never knew
04:05anyone that had it. So yeah, from then it was kind of just, like I said, reading and stuff,
04:12researching, talking to people who kind of reassured me. And that was the nice thing.
04:18A lot of people kind of got in touch with me, either messaged me or reached out and said,
04:24you'll be fine, whether that was other footballers or even other footballers that kind of had family
04:30as well. So yeah, I had a lot of support in that sense. So from then it kind of
04:36made me feel more at ease.
04:38Yeah, it must have really helped, obviously, people in the normal world outside of football
04:41going about their lives, but also people doing exactly what you do every day without being
04:45hindered by it.
04:46Yeah, no, that's it. Like I said, I was a little bit worried at first, obviously not knowing what
04:55was going to happen next, where to go. But luckily enough, that's when I looked into it and
05:00even just checking my phone, there was messages coming through from other people that play
05:03football or have played football. And they kind of just said, look, you'll be fine.
05:09It's obviously a big change, it's a lot to take in. But in the long run, you'll be fine as long
05:16as you manage it and keep on top of it. And I've wanted to do that because I want to play football
05:21and I want to make the most of my career because I know how fast it goes. I'm 25 now and it just
05:28puts things into perspective of what could have been. And luckily I've managed to kind of get
05:35things under control now and I want to keep going.
05:37Does it help with the mental side of things that you are a footballer, you've got this big
05:40support network of both family and friends, but also people at the club, teammates and the
05:45medical staff here who can map things out for you?
05:47Yeah, definitely. All the staff, all the boys were kind of worried about me at first, just
05:54seeing me from day to day. They were the ones that kind of were seeing me, whether that was
05:59around the place and just see there was the weight loss, for example, was one. I think it's
06:04hard when it's me, it's hard to kind of see when it's yourself. And it's easy for me, like I was
06:13doing, just to kind of bat it off and be like, no, it's fine, it's nothing. But everyone around
06:19me has been great and they've helped me a lot. So I'm obviously thankful for that. But ultimately,
06:24I think it's obviously my situation I'm going through and I need to, which I feel I have done,
06:34just know what to do, when to do it. And like I said, I've got it under control
06:42as well as I think I can. So as long as that continues, there should be no issue.
06:46Yeah, are you finding that management side of it is keeping on top of different things?
06:50Yeah, I'd be lying if I say it wasn't tough. There's so many factors, obviously, that people
06:57might not know about. Like for me, if someone had told me what I'm saying right now, I wouldn't have
07:02had a clue. So there's more to it than just kind of what you eat and stuff, which is obviously
07:09important. But it's injections, it's sleep, there's so many kind of factors that you've got
07:16to worry about. So I think that was the biggest thing, like I said, just make sure I can get to
07:25where I need to be for when I'm playing, whether that be games or training, and then just be
07:32prepared for exercise, really, which is the biggest thing, because that's the biggest difference I see.
07:36If I'm sitting at home, there's no real issue kind of thing. I can track it well.
07:42When it comes to games and training, it's obviously a lot more difficult.
07:47So games, whether that's half-time or training, just in between
07:50kind of breaks, just checking to see that I'm at an OK level and I can continue.
07:56And then obviously, going back to the staff, they've been a massive help for me, whether
08:00I need anything or if I'm feeling a certain way, they've obviously been there for me.
08:04Even throughout training, there's someone with my phone outside, so I can kind of just
08:10go over things and check that I'm at a good point. So, yeah, really, really grateful for everyone.
08:16Is it hard that you could be playing a match or in training? Is it sort of playing on your mind
08:19a little bit or have you got past that point? No, I don't think I will get past that point,
08:26because it's obviously there, I know it's there. And it's hard, obviously, not to read into things
08:33where you can see the kind of consequences of if you don't do things properly or if you do get to
08:39a certain point, what the outcome can be. So, yeah, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking
08:44about it. It's obviously different if I have a day off, the next day I'm not having to worry
08:49too much about what I need to put in my body and the kind of level I need to be at. But
08:55when there's a game in the morning, well, sorry, there's training in the morning and if there's a
09:02game in the afternoon, there's obviously different routines that you've got to follow. So, like I said,
09:06it's just about kind of knowing what works best for me and trying to stick to that routine.
09:13And, yeah, so far, I think I've done that pretty well. So, yeah, as long as I can continue to do
09:18that, there should be no real issues. How tough was it when you first came back? Those first
09:22sessions, those first minutes on the pitch, did you feel, you know, something you used to do
09:26naturally? Did you feel a big difference there? Yeah, definitely. Like you said, I think
09:34there's boys that obviously have got it and play with it, which made me feel reassured. But then
09:39there's in the same moment, I'm thinking, am I going to be the same as them? Am I going to be
09:45able to kind of deal with it like they do? Because it's obviously new to me. I haven't heard anything
09:51about kind of what this kind of illness, if you like, kind of means. So, yeah, it was a lot to
10:00take in at first. But I think day by day, obviously, now I'm much more comfortable. But
10:06then the first few days, obviously, the first few days training, the first, obviously, game,
10:12it's just, yeah, obviously been a bit difficult, but it's all about learning. And like I said,
10:17the routine is really important for me now. So, as long as I stay in that routine, then
10:22I can get a good pattern. There should be no issue. You were eased back in at first,
10:27but in the last few months, you've been playing week in, week out, twice a week.
10:31You know, looking back to beginning of November, end of October, can you believe just how far
10:36you've come and where you are at in terms of your football again? Yeah, no, if I do, I haven't really
10:42looked back in a way because we've had so many games and it's been constant. But
10:48even to think about it now, it has gone really quick. And to kind of be where I'm at now,
10:55compared to where I was and mentally how I was feeling, not knowing kind of which route I'd go
11:02down. I'm obviously so happy because being a footballer, that's what you want to do.
11:06And whether that's training or games, you want to be able to kind of be involved. I love being out
11:12there with the boys. So, to get through that first bit and kind of come through and know that
11:19it's going to be hard, but it's going to be OK, was the main thing. So, yeah, like I said,
11:26up to this point, it's been good. So, the support of everyone around me has been really good. So,
11:32I've just got to continue doing what I'm doing. And arguably, you've played some of your best
11:35football since arriving for Blackpool in the last couple of months. There's one thing other
11:39footballers say in a way, it's fine, you adapt. There's another thing, performing to levels
11:44yourselves to reassure yourself. So, do you feel that that's happened? Yeah, I think so. I think
11:51if I actually look back over these last few games and my body now, I'm actually looking into it much
11:56more and tracking kind of food intake, what I need to eat at certain times. This is the best I've
12:04felt in my whole professional career. Energy-wise, especially, I think, in a way, it's been a
12:12blessing because now I can see where I'm at. And when I get to a point where I need to be at,
12:19that's when I feel the best. So, in a way, now I can see it. It's kind of been a good thing because
12:25I haven't had this much energy in games, whether that's later on in the games or just throughout
12:29the game. So, yeah, in that sense, it's kind of been a good thing because I know each game now,
12:36whether that be Saturday, Tuesday, I can go again and play. And like I said, I'm feeling really good
12:41about that. And just finally, of course, it's a learning curve, but do you think you're in a
12:45position now to tackle it head on? Maybe when you weren't at the beginning, do you think you can
12:50just look forward now and keep just embracing whatever changes come? Yeah, definitely. It's
12:56been good, I think, as well, because we've had so many games and it's been constant Saturday,
13:01Tuesday for most weeks. It is in your head, but at that point, it's like, right, I've got to prepare
13:08for the next game. I've got to kind of do what I need to get prepared for that game. So, yeah,
13:16it's been hard on the body, if you like. But like I said, throughout them games, I've been feeling
13:23the best I've ever felt. So, yeah, when it comes to kind of looking forward to the next game,
13:29I'm not maybe thinking I'm feeling a bit tired. I'm feeling quite refreshed and ready to go again.
13:35So, yeah, long may that continue.