Thursday, November 23, 2006
DIABETES ARTICLES - Rookie Is No Novice at Dealing With Diabetes
DIABETES ARTICLES
Rookie Is No Novice at Dealing With Diabetes
After a dismal shooting night, the Charlotte Bobcats rookie Adam Morrison sat in front of his locker, head bowed as he tried to explain a 1-of-8 performance. At his feet was a duffel bag of energy bars and apple juice, reminders of what he has overcome to get this far.
“It’s something I’ve got to work through,” Morrison said of his shooting problems. “I’ve worked through it before and gone through adversity.”
It was not that long ago that Morrison sat in a hospital room, a 14-year-old listening as a doctor told him he was a Type 1 diabetic — a diagnosis he figured would end his N.B.A. dreams. But as the doctor started to rattle off the diabetic athletes who played professionally — the hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke, the nine-time baseball All-Star Ron Santo and the longtime N.B.A. player Chris Dudley — a new goal came into focus.
“Right after that, the nurse came in to give him the second insulin shot and he told her, ‘You better show me how to do this, because I’m going to be doing it for the rest of my life,’ ” recalled his father, John.
Today, the 22-year-old Morrison is the only known diabetic in the N.B.A.. Dudley, the league’s last active player with the disease, hopes that does not become an issue as Morrison struggles to improve a shooting percentage that has not moved above 40 percent and to get quicker as a defender, where he has often been a step slow.
But after going 10 of 43 during a five-game stretch, Morrison rebounded this week to score 21 and 27 points in back-to-back games.
“If he struggles in the midseason, people may talk about his diabetes,” Dudley said. “But every rookie goes through that. Every rookie hits the wall at some point. I hope people don’t blame the guy if he struggles.”
About 21 million Americans have diabetes, which affects the body’s ability to make or properly use insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common and involves the destruction of insulin-producing cells, in part because of obesity or poor diet. Morrison has the less-common Type 1. His body cannot make insulin, which it needs to convert sugar from food into energy.
If left untreated, diabetics can experience heart and kidney problems, blindness and even death. They are told to closely monitor their diet and get plenty of rest. Morrison set a daily routine and settled on having the same meal before every game: a steak and baked potato exactly two hours before tip-off.
It worked. Morrison went on to have a stellar high school career in Spokane, Wash., before starring at Gonzaga, where he was the top scorer in college basketball last season at 28.1 points a game. He did it while constantly testing his blood-sugar level, up to four or five times during the day and nearly every timeout during a game.
The Bobcats trainer Joe Sharpe got Morrison’s system down during the preseason and keeps the bench stocked with apple juice and energy bars. There is also insulin on hand should Morrison’s blood sugar get too high.
“I try to make it as quick as possible,” Sharpe said. “I have his kit ready to go. He sits down, pricks his finger and gets his reading. I then give him what he needs.”
Morrison took great care to make sure he would be ready to play at the pro level and deal with the disease. Earlier this year he met with Dudley, who spent 16 seasons in the N.B.A. before retiring in 2003.
“I told him you’re not going to be perfect, but you have to be careful,” Dudley said. “Talking to teams about Adam before the draft, I told them if Adam was the kind of player that you had to worry about being overweight during the summer and all those things, I’d be a lot more worried about him. I’m not worried about that with Adam. He’s the type of guy who knows his body and is going to take care of his body.”
When Dudley first entered the league in 1987, it took 45 seconds to test his blood sugar. The technology has improved. Morrison recently signed an endorsement deal with LifeScan, which makes a device that gives a reading in 5 seconds.
When Morrison’s blood sugar is too high or low, he feels sluggish on the court. But he feels he will be able to adjust to the grind of an 82-game N.B.A. schedule.
“Obviously, you have to take care of your body,” Morrison said. “It’s definitely different than college.”
After signing a rookie contract that pays more than $3 million a season, Morrison has taken advantage of his new wealth. He has hired a full-time chef, had meetings with a nutritionist, and his sister and 5-year-old niece moved to Charlotte, N.C., to help with his off-the-court responsibilities.
That maturity was one of the reasons the Bobcats did not shy away from selecting Morrison with the No. 3 pick in the draft. Dudley, who runs a foundation that helps children deal with diabetes, believes the high-profile Morrison will raise awareness for the disease.
“We all want a cure and we’re trying to get a cure, but in the meantime these kids have to deal with diabetes, and we try to get the message out that they can succeed,” Dudley said.
Morrison said he realizes the influence he can have, and spent time this summer on a promotional tour for the company that makes his blood sugar meter. Could the day come when, instead of being asked to autograph a shirt or a ball, a child with diabetes hands Morrison his blood-sugar meter to sign?
“That would be pretty wild, but you know, I think it would be cool if it could happen,” Morrison said. “I’ll try to give back and be a role model to kids and even adults.”
by The Assosiated Press at The New York Times, published on Nov 19, 2006
Rookie Is No Novice at Dealing With Diabetes
After a dismal shooting night, the Charlotte Bobcats rookie Adam Morrison sat in front of his locker, head bowed as he tried to explain a 1-of-8 performance. At his feet was a duffel bag of energy bars and apple juice, reminders of what he has overcome to get this far.
“It’s something I’ve got to work through,” Morrison said of his shooting problems. “I’ve worked through it before and gone through adversity.”
It was not that long ago that Morrison sat in a hospital room, a 14-year-old listening as a doctor told him he was a Type 1 diabetic — a diagnosis he figured would end his N.B.A. dreams. But as the doctor started to rattle off the diabetic athletes who played professionally — the hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke, the nine-time baseball All-Star Ron Santo and the longtime N.B.A. player Chris Dudley — a new goal came into focus.
“Right after that, the nurse came in to give him the second insulin shot and he told her, ‘You better show me how to do this, because I’m going to be doing it for the rest of my life,’ ” recalled his father, John.
Today, the 22-year-old Morrison is the only known diabetic in the N.B.A.. Dudley, the league’s last active player with the disease, hopes that does not become an issue as Morrison struggles to improve a shooting percentage that has not moved above 40 percent and to get quicker as a defender, where he has often been a step slow.
But after going 10 of 43 during a five-game stretch, Morrison rebounded this week to score 21 and 27 points in back-to-back games.
“If he struggles in the midseason, people may talk about his diabetes,” Dudley said. “But every rookie goes through that. Every rookie hits the wall at some point. I hope people don’t blame the guy if he struggles.”
About 21 million Americans have diabetes, which affects the body’s ability to make or properly use insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common and involves the destruction of insulin-producing cells, in part because of obesity or poor diet. Morrison has the less-common Type 1. His body cannot make insulin, which it needs to convert sugar from food into energy.
If left untreated, diabetics can experience heart and kidney problems, blindness and even death. They are told to closely monitor their diet and get plenty of rest. Morrison set a daily routine and settled on having the same meal before every game: a steak and baked potato exactly two hours before tip-off.
It worked. Morrison went on to have a stellar high school career in Spokane, Wash., before starring at Gonzaga, where he was the top scorer in college basketball last season at 28.1 points a game. He did it while constantly testing his blood-sugar level, up to four or five times during the day and nearly every timeout during a game.
The Bobcats trainer Joe Sharpe got Morrison’s system down during the preseason and keeps the bench stocked with apple juice and energy bars. There is also insulin on hand should Morrison’s blood sugar get too high.
“I try to make it as quick as possible,” Sharpe said. “I have his kit ready to go. He sits down, pricks his finger and gets his reading. I then give him what he needs.”
Morrison took great care to make sure he would be ready to play at the pro level and deal with the disease. Earlier this year he met with Dudley, who spent 16 seasons in the N.B.A. before retiring in 2003.
“I told him you’re not going to be perfect, but you have to be careful,” Dudley said. “Talking to teams about Adam before the draft, I told them if Adam was the kind of player that you had to worry about being overweight during the summer and all those things, I’d be a lot more worried about him. I’m not worried about that with Adam. He’s the type of guy who knows his body and is going to take care of his body.”
When Dudley first entered the league in 1987, it took 45 seconds to test his blood sugar. The technology has improved. Morrison recently signed an endorsement deal with LifeScan, which makes a device that gives a reading in 5 seconds.
When Morrison’s blood sugar is too high or low, he feels sluggish on the court. But he feels he will be able to adjust to the grind of an 82-game N.B.A. schedule.
“Obviously, you have to take care of your body,” Morrison said. “It’s definitely different than college.”
After signing a rookie contract that pays more than $3 million a season, Morrison has taken advantage of his new wealth. He has hired a full-time chef, had meetings with a nutritionist, and his sister and 5-year-old niece moved to Charlotte, N.C., to help with his off-the-court responsibilities.
That maturity was one of the reasons the Bobcats did not shy away from selecting Morrison with the No. 3 pick in the draft. Dudley, who runs a foundation that helps children deal with diabetes, believes the high-profile Morrison will raise awareness for the disease.
“We all want a cure and we’re trying to get a cure, but in the meantime these kids have to deal with diabetes, and we try to get the message out that they can succeed,” Dudley said.
Morrison said he realizes the influence he can have, and spent time this summer on a promotional tour for the company that makes his blood sugar meter. Could the day come when, instead of being asked to autograph a shirt or a ball, a child with diabetes hands Morrison his blood-sugar meter to sign?
“That would be pretty wild, but you know, I think it would be cool if it could happen,” Morrison said. “I’ll try to give back and be a role model to kids and even adults.”
by The Assosiated Press at The New York Times, published on Nov 19, 2006
