The Wild Wifflers enter their inaugural year as a team hyped to inspire T1Ders and show anyone affected by T1D that diabetes does not have to hold anyone back. 

At the age of 8, I was diagnosed with type one diabetes. I was two hours away from dying. When I learned that I had T1D, one of my greatest questions was; “What can’t I do now?”. The year of my diagnosis, I was invited to the SlamT1D wiffle ball tournament as part of the Trinity Bombers. For three days I watched people with T1D succeed, laugh, and most importantly, have fun. It showed me that while my life may be different, it doesn’t have to be worse than anyone else.

11 years later and I am finally able to bring my own team, the Wild Wifflers to the SlamT1D tournament. The highest priority of this team is to help inspire the 8yo Ian’s of today, and show them that there is plenty of fun to be had, even with T1D.

Anyone with T1D has experienced hundreds of shots, thousands of finger pricks, and countless days spent feeling sick from an out of range blood sugar. Having T1D means constant regulation of blood sugar through carb calculations, blood sugar testing, and insulin dosing. Any type one diabetic has the superpower of being able to tell you exactly how many carbs are in a banana, an Oreo, or cheese. Waking up to an alarm telling you that your blood sugar is 10 minutes from dipping into a range that can kill you at 1:00am is not uncommon. That’s just when you’re asleep. Add in anything strenuous such as an SAT test or a bike race and management becomes even more tricky. While T1D may be with me for the rest of my life, it doesn’t stop me from skiing, biking, sailing, and living a fun filled life!