I came across an article that struck a chord in me about a 13-year old aspiring tennis star named Elizabeth Profit. She ranks in the top 10 of her age group in her state and hopes to compete in the U.S Open one day. But, that's not what I found inspiring. Not only does she fight on the court, but she also fights off the court - against diabetes.Elizabeth has had juvenile diabetes since she was 2, but she doesn't let that stop her from accomplishing her dreams. At the young age of 3, she learned her to test her own blood sugar, and at just 5 years old, she started doing the insulin injections herself.
Here's a small blurb from the article:
"My mom said I'm not going use my diabetes as a disability," said Elizabeth. "I've got it for the rest of my life. And if they miraculously find a cure for it then that's great, but I have to live with it. I can't make excuses."
Until she learned how to manage diabetes, Elizabeth found herself collapsing at times. "In this one particular tournament Elizabeth played in, her blood sugar was totally out of control and I kept hollering out to her, 'Quit! Retire, you don't have to do this,' " said Yvonne. "She stopped and she turned around and said, 'I can do this. I can do this, Mom.' " Elizabeth went on to win the match and the tournament. "By the time we got home, she had collapsed on the floor. And I said, 'Sweetie pie, why didn't you quit?' " Yvonne remembered. "Because you didn't raise me to be a quitter," Elizabeth told her mother. In spite of her diabetes, Elizabeth reached the No. 1 ranking in her age group in Southern California at 10 years old.
Elizabeth inspires us by knowing that someone with diabetes doesn't have to feel completely restricted by the condition. There are ways to overcome it as long as you want to! You can find the rest of the article by clicking here. It's worth a read!
You can also make a difference by helping fund the research for a cure through the American Diabetes Association!
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/09/13/profit.sisters/index.html
