Guy’s Story

My name is Guy Junkins and I have had Type 1 Diabetes for 6 years. I was diagnosed at the age of 15 (January 22, 2015), and I haven’t looked back since then. I am currently a Senior at Trinity College in Hartford, CT studying History, Italian Studies, and Entrepreneurship. Aside from my studies, I walked on the Trinity Men’s Varsity Basketball team as a Sophomore without any previous experience playing basketball in my life. There is no doubt in the world that this disease is mentally and physically taxing CONSTANTLY without rest! I believe that with the right mindset, you can transform your attitude and can accomplish anything you set out to do. Take me: I played high school ice hockey and tennis right through my diagnosis and never once let T1D control my aspirations. Fast forward to college and I sought more. I wanted the ultimate challenge of physical and mental toughness. I wanted to test the limits of what an athlete can endure and accomplish. I wanted to prove Type 1 Diabetics can do anything. I’m a very competitive person, but I only compete with myself. I wanted to be the first ever to walk on a Collegiate athletics team, without having any experience in that sport. So three years ago I did just that. It was hard, I contemplated giving up and failed many times. I picked myself up and kept going. I was unwanted but it became the fuel to my fire. Have courage and patience. Keep GRINDING! life isn’t about flatline blood sugars, it’s about balancing what YOU want to do, while adjusting your numbers as best you can to stay in a healthy range. No one is perfect. Mastering diabetes as an art form is the ultimate goal. There will be ups and downs, but that is all apart of the journey to shape who you are. If you’re reading this and are a newly diagnosed T1D, just know that there is a community for you. You can always reach out to me, because I care about you.

Stay hard- Guy Junkins