Transcend Warrior – Kathryn Gentile
April 22, 2020
My Story:
Just prior to being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes I started cheerleading. I remained in the sport throughout college. I feel athletics highlight many of the difficulties of living with T1D. I had to learn how to avoid spikes during competitions and games from adrenaline spikes and learn ways to experience less lows. Sometimes, even with preparation, I would still experience highs and lows so I’d have to correct. For those that have cheered you can probably relate to this: one practice a flyer was dropped. When this happens, there’s always a “punishment” which is typically a form of exercise. My team had to go out and run. This is something I couldn’t prepare for so my blood sugar went down, fast. I ended up running out of all my low blood sugar treatments and still being quite low, my team all went through their bags to find any food they had to help.
My Health Details
Type of Diabetes:Type 1
Low blood sugar instances per week:1-3 Instances
Daily number of times checking blood sugar:7+ times/day
Managing Diabetes with:Insulin Pump
What age were you diagnosed with diabetes?11-15
How long does it typically take you to come up when you are low?Under 1 hour
How has Transcend helped treat your low blood sugars?
Transcend glucose gels are my favorite to have in hand at the gym. I use them during high intensity workouts to avoid lows and stay in range. Additionally, they’re easy to take with me everywhere I go Incase of lows when I’m out.
Do you have a diabetic hero that you look up to? If so, who and why?
My diabetic hero is Gary Scheiner. I’ve experienced many hardships in life and without reading “Think like a Pancreas” I would have had no idea how to manage the stress. Additionally, he does endless work for the community and helps so many people everyday. Now, I’m interning under him and he is even better of a person than anyone could imagine. I’ve learned endless information from him and his team. And, I’m living with far less diabetes burden thanks to his help.
What is your biggest challenge with diabetes?
My biggest challenge is getting frustrated with myself when my blood sugars aren’t where I want them to be and feeling like I’m held back.
What have you learned from your experiences with diabetes?
I’ve learned that preparation is key and that there is nothing I can’t do. Also, It’s taught me how to take care of myself and how important it is to do so.