CHARLOTTE, N.C. — November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and a contestant from NBC's The Titan Games is speaking up, hoping to be a voice for others.
Chris Ruden from The Titan Games was the first contestant to appear on the show with a congenital birth defect -- he has only two fingers on his left hand and a shorter left arm.
Ruden said he hid his disability for a large portion of his life. That is, until he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 19.
"I hid my disability for a long time, so when I was diagnosed with diabetes at 19 I was like, 'I'm not hiding this anymore,'" Ruden said. "So now I'm very vocal about diabetes. I want to support people in the community."
He told NBC Charlotte the second he stopped hiding his disability, his life took off.
"I want to inspire people to take whatever happens to them and turn it to their benefit, turn that obstacle into an opportunity to not only help themselves but help other people," Ruden said.
Ruden seeks to educate people about diabetes and to be an advocate for others.
He said it's not just "kids or grandmas" that are impacted by diabetes, but that everyone is susceptible.
"I feel like it's my job to help people in the community," Ruden said.
As it's Diabetes Awareness Month, Ruden encourages those with diabetes to be active, take care of their condition, and keep in touch with the community for support.
"Life is not just going to go your way, but it will go a better way if you start to work with yourself, accept yourself and start making better decisions that are going to help you, not hold you back," Ruden said.
Ruden said he's happy he's finally able to be his authentic self, and that people online have taken a liking to him being open his story.
"We're not limited unless we choose to be," he said.