Paris’s Story

My name is Paris Phillips and I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on May 11, 2016 when I was 18 years old. Almost 2 years now I have been dealing with T1D and it has been a blessing and a curse. I am a division 1 collegiate gymnast at NC State University as well, and have been doing gymnastics since I was 4 years old. I have never known anything other than pushing my body to great extremes from doing gymnastics so being diagnosed with a chronic illness took me by surprise. I was always a very healthy and very active person, so I had no idea that diabetes could affect someone like me. I had just finished my freshman year of college and was headed home for the summer. Finals week had me stressed so I had lost a few pounds, started drinking a lot more water and cokes because I was so thirsty, my contacts and my vision were not like the strength they use to be, and on top of that I had to pee every five minutes. Two days after I got home from Raleigh, my mom noticed how much I was having to urinate. I went 3 times in a span of 10 minutes. Out of curiosity, my mom told me to check my blood sugar. I was frantic because I hate needles. It was off though because the meter kept saying HIGH. So we checked my sister to see if the meter was broken. Nope, hers was normal (around 100). I checked my blood sugar with 3 different meters that night and they all said the same thing, HIGH. Fast forward three days and my mom got me in to see my doctor. I had not been eating carbs or sugar for those 3 days because my mom was so concerned. When I got to the doctor they checked my blood sugar again and it was 324. I had not eaten sugar or carbs for 3 whole days and I was still way out of normal range. So from that day forward, I have been known as a Type 1 Diabetic.I have never once thought about stopping the sport that I love. Since I had the first year of college gymnastics under my belt before I was diagnosed, I knew what to expect from the gymnastics side of things. Dealing with diabetes and gymnastics at the same time has been challenging but very rewarding. It has made me stronger and definitely more mature. Some days I have to sit out of practice in the beginning because my blood sugar is too low to practice, or I feel very dizzy when I am in the middle of a floor routine and have to stop. I have learned that all of that is okay because I am unique and ultimately my health comes first. After all of my adversity with just being diagnosed with T1D and learning how to do gymnastics with it, I went on to win my conference championship on floor. That is an accomplishment that I will never forget and I am proud of it. I have a great coaching and sports medicine staff here at NC State that monitors my blood sugar and knows what to do in the case of an emergency. I know that between all of my doctors and athletic trainers that I am safe, and if any harm comes to me then I am well taken care of.

Being a college athlete with diabetes has given me a platform to share my story and experience to help others and I am grateful for that. Any little girl or boy who dreams of being a college athlete should never have the fear of “can I do it even if I have T1D slowing me down?” I want to show people that diabetes doesn’t define you, YOU define diabetes.

Paris Phillips