How long have you been diabetic? I was diagnosed about 10 years ago, when I was 7 years old. It was pretty traumatic, I was scared that I was dying because I was misdiagnosed – they thought it was cancer. It was a huge shock for my mom, but I just remember feeling relieved it was only diabetes and it wasn’t anything worse.
How is your life different because you’re diabetic? I definitely started eating healthier because it’s better for me and my blood sugar. School has been a bit difficult – most teachers don’t really know anything about diabetes, so I have to depend on my best friends, they know all about it. My school lets me check my blood sugar in class
Inspiring
How did you get into skating? When we were younger, we used to go to the public sessions and it was so much fun. I started going to figure skating club on Saturdays about two years ago, and we just started testing skating in groups and what we could do. That’s how our synchro team was born: there are 16 of us in the team, and we compete throughout the year.
Is it difficult to compete when you have to worry about blood sugar levels on top of everything else? I have an insulin pump, so that helps, but I still have to be very careful. I make sure my blood sugar is fine an hour or two before we’re due to go on the ice, because my pump is under my tights and my costume and it’s difficult to get to if I need to adjust my levels. I love my pump: I got it about 6 or 7 years ago and it’s made my life so much easier. I also test just before I go on the ice, because the adrenalin can do funny things to my blood sugar. And I make sure I always have fast-acting sugar on hand in case I go low.
Who do you skate for? I’m part of the Toti Seals Synchro Team, and we represent KwaZulu/ Natal in the inter-provincial competitions twice a year, as well as in the KZN championships.
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2014/05/28 3:36 AM