Blake Bagnall is an electrical supervisor on iron ore ports in the remote Pilbara region of northern Western Australia. Based out of Port Hedland, he travels extensively within this land of fierce desert sunsets and crackling thunderstorms, constantly learning as he goes about how to manage his type 1 diabetes in the harsh and changing climate.  

The late teen years were a turning point for Blake. Leaving school after the 11th grade to pursue an electrical apprenticeship, he was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged 16. He describes the rapid shift in his weight as a tell-tale sign, as well as the unquenchable thirst of hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose levels).  

“Growing up, I was a naturally chubby kid. Then, a couple months after turning 16 I lost around 13 kilograms in a two to three-week period. I was looking as skinny as a stick and my mum had a suspicion that something wasn’t right.”

After completing his apprenticeship, Blake spent his time on various commercial projects based around Perth, as well as in New Zealand. Now focusing on the iron ore industry, Blake’s days in the Pilbara region are varied.  

“As an electrician, I could be doing anything from installing new electrical equipment for mining fixed plant machines, to replacing or fault-finding electrical problems when mining fixed plant machinery breaks down.”

Evolving diabetes management plan

An ever-changing working day in a desert climate means that Blake’s diabetes management plan has been an evolving process that he has had to develop fairly independently.  

“When I first got into the mining industry it was pretty much all trial and error, there wasn’t really any information I could find to help me with my diabetes management. 

“When I’m staying at camps, I’m not always cooking my own food, so you don’t really get a decision as to what food you’re getting every day. So instead, I just try to stick to a certain group of foods and be consistent, to try and keep the insulin at the right level. Everything I’ve learned is from experience and trial and error— I’m definitely not perfect, but I’m a lot better.  

“I always carry a bag of lollies with me onto every site I go to.” 

Changing technology

Reflecting on the development of diabetes technology over the years, Blake says the increasing availability of smart glucose sensors like Freestyle Libre have had a significant impact on his life.

“Emotionally, they have reduced my anxiety dramatically. Where I work, the temperature is usually 38+C°— I wear a hard hat, long pants, long sleeve shirt, and steel cap boots every day, and naturally sweat a lot when doing physical labour, which can drop my glucose levels quickly.” 

“Having the peace of mind that I can test on the spot if I’m feeling low helps a lot. I can just scan my phone over my arm and it tells me how I’m going. Before I was using FreeStyle Libre I would have to stop work and walk back to the lunch area where my bag was to do a finger prick test, which could take up to 25 minutes.” 

A rocky career path

Though now happily engaged in work that challenges and satisfies him, Blake wonders if there was a time where his identity as a person with diabetes made the road to his chosen career a little rockier.  

“I did have a period where I felt like I wasn’t able to apply quick enough to get jobs, because we have to do medicals. For me to get signed off on a medical I have to be in contact with my own doctor, and then they need to send off the letter to finalise everything. 

“But I’m at a point now where my company is really supportive of me, and everyone knows I have diabetes. 

“Since the diagnosis I have always told myself to never be restricted by diabetes— I don’t think I have met a person living with diabetes who doesn’t try to think the same way.” 

Life’s quiet moments

So, what does life look like in the Pilbara region? This is, after all, a place equally well known for its status as the ‘engine room of Australia’ (thanks to its iron ore operations), as well as its national parks containing ancient Indigenous petroglyphs, deep rocky canyons and waterfall-fed plunge pools.  

For Blake, sometimes this can all be wrapped up in a quiet moment at the start or end of the working day. 

“Sunrises in the morning and the sunsets at night are a really awesome way to start and finish the day. When you get a bit of cloud, oh, they really fire up the clouds. And recently, we’ve had a bit of rain, so sometimes I just sit out the front of my room and watch the storms, listening to the crackles of thunder and the lightning. It’s really beautiful.”