A letter from Maryland Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Cathy Reese and her husband Brian:
Thank you! Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you to all of you who have contributed in the past and to those of you who will contribute this year!! Your support means SO much to all of us. This will be our 5th year raising money to Fund a Cure for Type 1 Diabetes and we have raised over $55,000 to this point.
Our story is similar to other people who are fighting the same battles. The old saying - Hindsight is always 20/20 is very true in our situation. Looking back at everything, I knew something wasn't right. Our son Riley was drinking a lot of water, and constantly going to the bathroom. I remember we were on a 2-hour bus ride to James Madison and he had 3 bottles of water and went to the bathroom a few times. He was 7. I even said to him, “What is wrong with you? You can’t be that thirsty,” or, “There is NO way you have to go to the bathroom again.” Deep down I was afraid of what was really happening.
We took him to the pediatrician and in for a blood test. After one of our home games in 2012, I was driving home to pick up three of my kids at my sister’s when my phone rang. It was the doctor on call at our pediatrician’s office and they said we needed to take Riley to the emergency room right away. I asked if I could wait until morning and she told me if it was her child, she would go right now. At that point, my heart melted and my eyes filled up with tears. I knew. I didn’t want it to be true but knew that we needed to get help. I called my husband and told him, and he took Riley to the emergency room. Riley’s blood sugar was over 800. A normal blood sugar is usually in 80-100 range.
We spent two nights in the hospital learning how to care for our son, and learning how to manage this new reality that hit us smack in the face. Learning how to give needles, and prick fingers to check blood sugars, to recognize highs and lows were lessons now necessary to keep Riley alive. One of my favorite sayings - "whatever it takes" was never more true than this moment!
Our lives changed; however, we were going to do the best we could to move forward and adjust to our new normal. This meant constant monitoring of Riley’s blood sugar, injecting him with insulin several times a day; waking up in the middle of the night to check his blood sugar; counting carbs; learning to balance insulin with eating, daily activities, and normal childhood illnesses. We slowly adjusted to our new reality and, today, Riley doesn’t let diabetes hold him back from doing anything.
He is 14 years old and wears a pump which helps make it easier to administer insulin, but he still pricks his finger to check his blood sugar, and has to balance insulin doses with eating, sports, daily activities, common colds and the flu. Riley has never felt sorry for himself or used T1D as an excuse. He is actually a total rockstar and inspiration to all of us.
People living with Type 1 diabetes look normal, act normal and eat normal food. They play sports and they are normal in all ways — except that they must take insulin regularly and monitor their blood sugar 24/7.
Our game on March 16 against Ohio State will be our fifth annual game to raise money and awareness to fight Type 1 Diabetes. The Terps have raised over $55,000 and are looking to add to that number this year.
For over 45 years, JDRF has helped to make life more normal for people like Riley. JDRF’s goal is to ultimately create a world without Type 1, and until a cure is found, JDRF is committed to finding tools and therapies that will keep people with Type 1 healthy and safe.
Together we know we can make a difference and work towards a world where type 1 is type none. JDRF’s color is blue – and our team is collecting donations through this site. Every dollar donated will go directly to JDRF to help fund a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. So why not raise some $$! We thank you for reading this and for helping the Terps make a difference for so many people! GO TERPS!!!!!
xo,
Cathy and Brian
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