Diabetic Lineman on Boston College Football Team!

Rich Lapham was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 13 years old, but today is a lineman on the Boston College football team. Lapham was recently featured in the Boston Herald for his athletic perseverence despite his Type 1 diabetes, and just like the rest of us: diabetes is challenging for him, too, but he simply doesn't let it get in the way of his goals.

“It’s something I obviously plan to work on to keep it that way. I don’t really want it to affect my situation at all," Lapham explained to the Boston Herald.

Often, I read blogs or tweets full of frustration about BG fluctuations and balancing BG during exercise from fellow folks with the 'betes, and I think Lapham is a good reminder that no matter what level of success a person is at, it is hard work for everyone. Lapham is an example of someone who simply didn't give up when it doesn't always work out smoothly.

And he isn't afraid to check, check, check, and respond to the numbers on the monitor, as the article said, "He’s constantly checking his blood-sugar level with a glucose meter and often does so during breaks in competition. When it’s not right, he’ll take a shot."

It's essential! Tricks to figuring out what YOUR body needs during athletic events like this have to be worked through and studied. You have to be patient, too! This is what I refer to as My Diabetes Science Experiment.

At my recent powerlifting competition, I checked my blood sugar at least every 2 hours because a low blood sugar during this kind of activity would completely kill my strength and stamina. On the flip side, my adrenaline and level of stress was so high all day that I couldn't get my blood sugar under 250. For a part of the day it was over 350, and I kept taking injections but it was enough, and I was very nervous about taking too much, stacking several injections on top of each other, and dropping horribly low.

As soon as the day was over, and I checked my BG before dinner, I had finally come down to 145. Either way, this is a challenging aspect of diabetes that makes my goals as a powerlifter a little different than a non-diabetic's goals.

In the end, it didn't stop me (I was the overall winner!) and it clearly doesn't stop someone like Rich Lapham.