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Highs And Lows
An Inside Look at Teens and Diabetes
By Laura Cone
Most teenagers want to be considered "cool," which often means blending in with their peers. For teenagers living with diabetes, that can be difficult, especially when they have to worry about sharing chocolate cake on dates or if they will have to sit out during games when they feel too dizzy to play.
As a starting varsity soccer player, 14-year-old Ryan Candice Branson is disappointed she cannot always play in the games. She even wonders whether her team would have won District if she could have played more. "I have to sit out for the first half because, oftentimes, I get low right before the game," she says. "Then, there is a pattern. I'll be low, so I drink juice. By halftime, my blood sugar is up. I'd have symptoms, like I'd be dizzy and wouldn't be able to perform my best."
For the past 10 years, Branson, a freshman living in Pearl River, La., has lived with Type I diabetes. She uses an insulin pump, a small beeper-sized device that delivers insulin to her body via a tube that is placed just under her skin, in order to control her disease. And while she plans to avoid certain activities in order to preserve her health, she also doesn't intend to let her diabetes stop her from experiencing all that life can offer. Branson is excited about being a student ambassador in the People to People International program, even though she will have to bring her diabetes supplies along. "I'm traveling to England, and my mom is driving me crazy because she is worried," Branson says. "She is worried about who will check my blood sugar."
