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Adam Morrison knew something was wrong when his game went south.
The summer before his ninth grade year, the future NBA first-round draft pick was attending basketball camp at Gonzaga University when he acknowledged that something wasn’t quite right. He had been losing weight and feeling unusually lethargic.
At camp – a place where he expected to thrive– his condition worsened.
“I was sicker than a dog,” Morrison said. “I couldn’t do anything.”
Shortly after, Morrison was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, an illness in which the body stops producing insulin, a hormone essential to processing sugars through the bloodstream.
Morrison learned to manage his diabetes, checking his blood sugar throughout the day and administering insulin when needed. He would go on to set the Greater Spokane League record for points at Mead High School, leading the Panthers to the 4A title game his senior year.
Although not heavily recruited out of high school, Morrison signed with Gonzaga and developed into one of the top small forwards in the country, making the honorable mention All-American team his sophomore year and earning the Co-Player of the Year award from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association as a junior.
Over the years, Morrison became a spokesperson for type 1 diabetes, talking to kids and families about healthy maintenance of the condition. Like many who deal with the ailment, Morrison regulates his blood sugar through an insulin pump affixed to his abdomen.
“He has been a good example of how to take control of his diabetes,” said Kay C. England, an administrator with the local branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
This Saturday, JDRF will sponsor the 13th annual “Walk to Cure Diabetes” at Spokane’s Riverfront Park, beginning at 10 a.m. England said the fund-raiser helps to generate valuable understanding about the disease and what can be done to control it.
“Diabetes affects more people than most are aware of,” she said. “I think it’s important for the community to show their support. It’s more about the awareness than raising money.”
Lisa Randall works as a dietician and certified diabetes educator with Community Health Education and Resources, a Spokane-based nonprofit organization that offers classes and programs focusing on diabetes, heart disease and other health risks that affect the community. Randall helps people distinguish between type 2 diabetes, a metabolic disorder often brought on by obesity, poor eating habits and lack of exercise and type 1, an autoimmune condition in which beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are gradually destroyed. Unlike type 2 diabetes, the onset of type 1 is not tied to diet, weight or exercise.
Randall talked about the “great strides” that have been made in diabetes maintenance over the years with inventions like the insulin pump which determines how much insulin is needed to balance out sugar molecules created by eating certain carbohydrates.
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By
Craig Howard
