Narrator:
A signature smile masks an invisible battle: a lifetime of high blood sugar.

Grant Bunting:
My test scores were ridiculous.

[Onscreen text:
Grant Bunting
Lives with Diabetes[

Narrator:
Grant Bunting struggled to manage his type 2 diabetes, even with weight loss surgery and a new love of running. A blood sugar spike put him in a coma for 11 days.

Bunting:
I should have died.

Narrator:
While learning how to walk again, Bunting knew he needed help to take control of his health and couldn't do it alone. Enter Dr. Zachary Bittinger.

Dr. Bittinger:
Look, there's nobody that's in your corner more than your primary doctor.

[Onscreen text:
Zachary Bittinger, MD
Family Medicine Physician at
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center]

Narrator:
Yet a new Ohio State survey shows 1 in 7 people do not have a primary care doctor and 1 in 3 have not had a checkup in the past year. 

[Onscreen text:
Source: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
14% DO NOT HAVE PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR]

[Onscreen text:
Source: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
32% HAVE NOT HAD A CHECK-UP]

Dr. Bittinger:
We meet people wherever they are with their health and take care of them on a long-term basis.

Narrator:
Dr. Bittinger started with Bunting's diet and exercise and brought in pharmacist Jamie Bailey to help Bunting consistently monitor his glucose level and manage it with medication. It's the type of personalized approach Dr. Bittinger says primary care teams are poised to provide.

Dr. Bittinger:
I want everybody to have somebody they trust, have a primary doctor that they can call with anything.

Narrator:
Primary care can monitor screenings and vaccinations, track your medical history, and help with balanced diet and exercise plans. This holistic approach clicked for Bunting.

Bunting:
I would even say having a primary care team is extremely important.

Narrator:
He now maintains a normal blood sugar and weight, giving him the confidence and accountability to prepare for his next run.

Bunting:
To get across that finish line with a smile on my face.

Narrator:
At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, I'm Jessie Turnure.