The cases of type one diabetes in the U.S nearly double that of any other country worldwide. Cases are also more frequent compared to years past, and projected to continue to rise. With these increasing numbers, more athletes are having to face this diagnosis at some point in their athletic career.
Junior Miya Nishida was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes Sept. 23, 2023, and she plans to battle through the problems associated with the disease as the spring varsity soccer season begins.
“Looking back two months before my diagnosis, I could see the effects of Type I on my physical performance,” she said. “After my diagnosis I was able to see my speed, tiredness, and overall my endurance go up.”
Type one is known to affect people differently in various situations with the most common symptoms being fatigue and dehydration.
“She had been complaining for months of being really tired,” Miya’s mother Michelle Nishida said.
It’s estimated that 64,000 people get diagnosed with type one diabetes every year. it can come unexpectedly to many. Type I diabetes can take months or years of developing before symptoms can start to be noticed in a patient. When the symptoms do start to show, they can be severe.
“The process for diagnosis is typically dramatic for people,” Mrs. Nishida said. “They don’t often recognize the symptoms before their body starts to shut down. Most people end up in the emergency room.”
The diagnosis of Type I Diabetes can be hard on many people. It was discovered that one in every four who get diagnosed will find themselves battling depression. Those diagnosed with Type I are also found to be 5 times more likely to deal with depression than those who are not.
“One of the ways that I have been able to cope with being diagnosed with Type I was reaching out to other people,” said Miya. “When I was first diagnosed I didn’t tell anyone about it, and I was pretty quiet and kept it inside. But over time I realized that as I reach out to people it makes it a lot easier.”
It has been estimated that in the U.S. there are 18,200 kids under the age of 18 that have type one diabetes. This strikes fear and worry into many parents who wonder how their kid will manage this new roadblock in their life.
“I’ve had a lot of friends over the years whose children have been diagnosed with Type I,” Mrs. Nishida said. “A piece of advice that I can offer them is that your child can do everything that they want to do, and that they aren’t limited by this. It just takes time to get to that place where they are responsible and independent, but also just have confidence with themselves.”
When these kids are diagnosed, it begins to make a lot of them question if it’s worth it to keep going in a lot of the activities or events that they love.
“I would tell somebody who is going through a similar experience as me to not give up,” Miya said. “This Diagnosis can feel very limiting, and sometimes it is, but as you push forward in the things that you love it’ll be rewarding for you later.”
