The only Premier League player living with a life-changing condition was once just a day away from falling into a coma.
Everton defender Jake O’Brien is the only Premier League player with Type One diabetes, and he recently shared his incredible story.
Jake’s body can’t make insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar. He wears a small device on his arm that sends his blood sugar levels to an app on his phone. When he needs insulin, he takes out a tiny needle and injects it into his thigh or stomach – something that sometimes surprises his teammates.
“Some of them are shocked at first,” Jake said in an interview with the Daily Mail. “They wonder, ‘What’s he doing?’ or feel a bit uneasy. But they get used to it quickly. It’s just a small needle.”
The 25-year-old Irish defender started his career at Cork City and now plays mainly as a tall centre-back for Everton, although he also fills in at right back when needed.
His football dreams nearly didn’t happen. Before he was diagnosed with diabetes at 16, he felt really tired, lost weight fast, and was always thirsty—even drinking eight or nine liters of water a day. He lost 7 kilograms in just over a week, and his blood sugar was dangerously high.
“I was told I was a day away from coma,” Jake said. “If I hadn’t gone to the doctor that night, who knows what could have happened?”
Back then, Jake had also been a champion at boxing and hurling. When he was diagnosed, he weighed 53kg but quickly gained weight after starting treatment—adding 7kg in two weeks and 30kg over the next two years.
“Yes, 30kg, I know that’s a lot,” he said with a laugh. “My mum’s grocery bill must have been huge, but I was determined to put on weight, hitting the gym all the time.”
Jake admits he was surprised to have diabetes but took it in stride. “Once I knew what it was, I didn’t feel sorry for myself. I thought, ‘Okay, now I know what’s wrong; I can move on with my life.’”
Now standing 6ft 6 and weighing around 96kg, Jake uses his size to his advantage in defense. While Everton’s manager David Moyes prefers James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite as centre-backs, Jake often plays at right back.
Last season, with no natural right-back available, Jake filled the role and now shares the position with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who joined from Lyon.
Some thought Jake might be frustrated playing out of position or even consider leaving Everton, but he says that’s not true. “I was never close to leaving,” he explained. “I’m not a natural right back, but I’ll play wherever the team needs me. We have a small squad, so everyone has to help out.”
Jake even looks to players at other clubs for tips, saying, “Arsenal have centre-backs playing at right back too, so I learn from them. But I’m 6ft 6, so I’m not your typical right back.”
Currently, Jake is with the Republic of Ireland on international duty and is expected to start when they play Austria in the Nations League—coincidentally on World Diabetes Day.