With nearly a decade at the helm of the Canadian government, Brian Mulroney says he became accustomed to late nights, bad eating habits and working under immense pressure.
But the former prime minister now deals with a different type of stress in his life after being diagnosed with diabetes in Sept 2010.
The 73-year-old says the diagnosis came as a shock.
And for a man who, as Canada鈥檚 18th prime minister, managed a hectic schedule that saw him travel the world and meet with other world leaders, adapting to chronic disease seemed overwhelming at first.
鈥淚 was used to getting up in the morning and starting work and doing what I wanted all day long,鈥� Mulroney told CTV鈥檚 Avis Favaro. 鈥淲orking, travelling, speaking, all of this without having to worry about what do you eat, what do you drink, you have injections to take, you have pills to take 鈥� I had none of that.鈥�
The former prime minister discovered his condition almost by chance: During a 2010 trip to Turkey, Mulroney developed Hepatitis E. A slew of tests into the liver condition also revealed Mulroney had diabetes, joining the estimated nine million Canadians who suffer from the disease or a prediabetes version of it.
鈥淭hat was the end of me,鈥� he recalled thinking to himself.
His doctors believe the diabetes was caused by a combination of factors, meaning Mulroney has a rare blend of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
An infection in 2004 caused pancreatitis and weakened the insulin-producing organ, consistent with Type 1 diabetes. However, onset of the disease later in life points to Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to diet and lifestyle.
鈥淪o I was in the hospital, (and) they ran every test on me. And they came in to see me and they said 鈥榣ook, you鈥檙e a full blown diabetic and we鈥檙e going to have to do something about it if you want to live.鈥� 鈥�
Mulroney said the diagnosis was devastating.
鈥淚 was 70 and I had made it that long, living the life that I did,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he life of a prime minister is not always easy, the ups and downs, and there鈥檚 lots of pressure and tension and bad habits of travel and eating sandwiches at 3 a.m. All the things that you shouldn鈥檛 do, you tend to do in public life.鈥�
He immediately began a routine of medication, injections and strictly monitoring his diet and blood sugar.
And while Mulroney knew his lifestyle wasn鈥檛 always conducive to optimal health, he said he had taken up walking and healthier habits to keep himself in good shape 鈥� thinking those activities would help protect him from such conditions.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the irony of it 鈥� Seven days a week, I鈥檓 out there: an hour-and-a-half鈥� with my fast walk every day,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been doing it for years and years and years. Hell, everybody in Montreal 鈥� can tell you when I walk by.鈥�
He added: 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 had a drink in 33 years, I don鈥檛 smoke, I don鈥檛 go crazy too often 鈥� I wasn鈥檛 great but I wasn鈥檛 bad. But there was something in my system I guess that gave me a proclivity for whatever hit me and now I have to deal with it.鈥�
Mulroney said his new lifestyle took some adjusting to, as did the realization that he鈥檇 have to live with was essentially a treatable 鈥� but not curable 鈥� disease.
鈥淚t is common that people struggle with diabetes,鈥� said Mulroney鈥檚 diabetes specialist, Dr. Remi Rabasa-Lhoret. 鈥淗e had trouble to accept that it鈥檚 a chronic disease that we know how to treat but we cannot cure.鈥�
And Rabasa-Lhoret says Mulroney has been very 鈥渃ompliant鈥� with his new routine after undertaking a step-by-step process to improve his overall lifestyle.
鈥淭he physical activity, the weight control, the improved quality of food鈥� he really got it, if (we thought) that it could help him.鈥�
If you want to email Mulroney questions about his diabetes diagnosis, you can reach him via his assistant at: wakou.ngambany@nortonrose.com. And tune into CTV National News with Lisa LaFlamme Wednesday night, to see part two of Avis Favaro's interview with the former prime minister.
With a report by CTV鈥檚 medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
