Country Music Star Eric Paslay Partners with Dexcom to Share His Story and Help Others Living with Diabetes

To kick off the partnership, Paslay will attend the Children with Diabetes Friends for Life® international conference on July 6 in Orlando, Florida, where he'll speak with families and children impacted by the disease. He will also perform a special concert for all the attendees during the event.

Education on diabetes management is crucial for 29.1 million Americans living with the condition day-to-day, including 1.25 million diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.¹ The growth of continuous glucose monitoring systems, like the Dexcom G5® Mobile CGM System, has helped diabetes patients better understand valuable information about their glucose levels and trends, a key aspect to managing the disease and staying healthy.

"When I'm on the road with a crazy schedule, it's very hard to keep a regular routine, let alone watch what I'm eating and stay on top of my blood glucose levels," said Paslay. "What's really amazing about the Dexcom CGM is that I'm no longer surprised while I'm on stage—I can see my levels go up and down and take action. My tour manager also monitors my levels with the Follow app and tells me in my earpiece if they are going high or low, so I can take steps to get back in check. As a musician and an individual living with Diabetes, I can't say enough good things about the impact CGM has made on my personal and professional life."

Paslay was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 10 after his grandmother noticed him drinking too many fluids and rushed him to the hospital, which led to a quick diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. Now, Paslay is passionate about helping others with diabetes through his music and by sharing what he's learned about managing the disease. In partnering with Dexcom, he hopes to spread awareness of continuous glucose monitoring and empower those impacted by diabetes to get educated about their options and make sure they are taking care of themselves.

"I want to share my story in hopes that I can educate other people with diabetes, especially young people, that they can follow their dreams by taking good care of themselves and that proper diabetes management is the key," Paslay added.  "People need to know that there are advanced tools like CGM available to help with the successful management of this disease."

"We are so inspired by Eric's story and are excited to collaborate with him to empower others living with diabetes," stated Kevin Sayer, Chief Executive Officer of Dexcom. "As someone who has personally benefitted from CGM, Eric is a perfect role model to help others learn about their options for diabetes management. We believe his story will help inspire those who struggle with this disease on a daily basis to be more empowered to take control of their diabetes."

Continuous glucose monitoring is considered the most significant breakthrough in diabetes management in the past 40 years.² The traditional standard-of-care for glucose (blood sugar) monitoring has been a finger stick meter. CGM augments the use of glucose meters for the management of diabetes. With the recent introduction of the Dexcom G5 Mobile CGM System, people with diabetes can now view their glucose information on their iOS-enabled devices for real-time diabetes management. CGM is important because, in addition to providing the glucose level, it provides the direction and rate of glucose change with the push of a button and alerts users when glucose is too low or too high.

Diabetes affects 10% of the American population and is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States.² With diabetes, the body cannot produce or use the hormone insulin effectively, causing a buildup of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. It is estimated that approximately 86 million Americans over the age of 20 are at risk for developing diabetes (primarily Type 2), largely due to obesity, physical inactivity and poor diet.² People with diabetes who take insulin must monitor their blood glucose levels frequently. Uncontrolled glucose can cause health complications and even death.^3,4

About Dexcom, Inc.
Dexcom, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, CA, is dedicated to helping people better manage their diabetes by developing and marketing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) products and tools for adult and pediatric patients. With exceptional performance, patient comfort and lifestyle flexibility at the heart of its technology, users have consistently ranked Dexcom highest in customer satisfaction and loyalty. For more information on the Dexcom CGM, visit www.dexcom.com. 

About Eric Paslay
EMI Records Nashville breakout country artist, Eric Paslay, delivers a powerful punch as a renowned, Platinum-selling, hit songwriter and dynamic performer. Paslay has celebrated five No. 1 hits including "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" (Eli Young Band), "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" (Jake Owen), "Angel Eyes" (Love & Theft), "Rewind" (Rascal Flatts) and "Friday Night," the smash lead single from his critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. The Temple, Texas native earned nominations for GRAMMY Best Country Song, ACM Song of the Year and CMA Song of The Year for "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" in 2013 and earned his first GRAMMY nomination as an artist in 2016 for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "The Driver"- a collaboration with friends Charles Kelley and Dierks Bentley. Most recently he was honored with an ACM Song of the Year nomination for "She Don't Love You" at the 2016 ACMs in Las Vegas. A true artist's artist, USA Today calls Paslay "flat out-brilliant" and American Songwriter names him an influencer of country music.

Paslay has joined friends Chris Young and Brad Paisley on tour this past year and will be out with Toby Keith this summer as part of The Interstates and Tailgates Tour, Presented by Ford F-Series. On the road he has been sharing new songs with fans from his forthcoming sophomore album, DRESSED IN BLACK, including his brand new single "Angels in This Town"- an especially meaningful song for Paslay as it celebrates not only the unexplained miracles in life but also local heroes around the world. "Angels" will be going for adds at country radio on July 18 and Paslay, the son of missionary parents, will be doing a series of events in cities and towns across the country this year while on tour, honoring these individuals who are making a difference. "I am so excited that this song will allow us to tip our hats to these local 'angels'. I can't wait to meet them while on the road and thank them personally."

CONSUMER CONTACT:
Caren Begun, 201-396-8551 or [email protected]
To view multimedia assets, please visit: http://www.multimedianewscenter.com/dexcom/dexcom-media-portal.

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Steven Pacelli, 858-200-0200 or [email protected]

References

1. Diabetes.org (http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/)
2. Clarke SF and Foster JR. A history of blood glucose meters and their role in self-monitoring of diabetes mellitus. Br J Biomed Sci. 2012;(3)2:83-93.
3. 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/statsreport14/national-diabetes-report-web.pdf Accessed March 31, 2015.
4. Hyperglycemia (High blood glucose). American Diabetes Association Web site. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hyperglycemia.html. Updated August 5, 2013. Accessed December 3, 2013.
5. Hypoglycemia (Low blood glucose). American Diabetes Association Web site. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html. Updated July 16, 2013. Accessed December 3, 2013.

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SOURCE Dexcom, Inc.