My son, who is 13yrs old, was dianosed with type 1 at the age of 8. We, like many other parents, were shocked and terrified at the radical change that our lives would soon take. Brady was very brave and strong throughout the 4 days that we spent in the hospital learning how to deal with this new life style change. He has always tested his own blood and administered all his shots himself. We have always been a very active sports family and Brady was just as involved. One of the very first questions that he asked me was.."Can I still play sports?"...of course the answer was an absolute YES. He has excelled at everything he has tried and Type 1 has not slowed him down at all. He plays on a Major level USSSA baseball team that won the Missouri AAA State title and is currently ranked #6 in the Major Division: he plays on a high level AAU basketball team that is currently the Iowa AAU State Champions, and he is the starting quarterback on his school football team as well as excelling on the school track and basketball teams. He has never let being a diabetic slow him down one bit and dreams of playing college sports one day. To all of those kids out there who are playing sports, do not let being a type 1 diabetic change your dreams or desires one bit...you can do whatever you want to do!

Rick&Ann Sartorius
Mount Pleasant, IA