By Jalen Martin '23
HAVERFORD, Pa. - On November 22nd, the men's and women's basketball teams will wear special blue warm-ups and socks in the tradition of Blue Night for Type 1 Diabetes Awareness. The tradition began last year when Summer Ryan '25 sought a way to incorporate Haverford Athletics in celebration of November, which is National Diabetes Month.
Ryan's personal experience with type 1 diabetes has driven her to find a way to raise awareness about the illness. Diagnosed at age 10, with no prior family history of the disease, she quickly learned how relentless diabetes can be. "It's a 24/7, 365 days type of illness," she explained. "I realized I was gonna have to start taking insulin and checking my blood sugar levels all the time."
Like training for basketball, living with diabetes is truly a "no day's off" kind of task. But treating it like basketball, which she returned to playing almost as soon as she left the hospital in 2012, has helped Ryan get through it.
"I like to think about it as the way you prepare for a game," she said. "You make sure you eat, stretch out, do warm ups, and look at plays. It's kind of similar to diabetes, where you have a regimen of things to do before a game. I monitor my blood sugar extra carefully, hours before I play, to make sure I'm in the range that I like to be at. It is challenging, but I try to focus on the planning, and stay prepared as much as I can."
Whether she's checking her blood sugar levels on the bench or chugging full bottles of Gatorade in the locker room, Ryan's team, and the general Haverford community, has been supportive. Together with another student with type 1, Ryan helped start a Haverford chapter of the College Diabetes Network, which meets bi-weekly to organize events, share resources, and provide a space for students with diabetes to connect with others and share their experiences.
Several professional athletes live and play with type 1 diabetes, such as 12-year quarterback Jay Cutler, Real Madrid soccer player Borja Mayoral, and major league baseball outfielder Adam Duvall. One former athlete in particular paved the way for diabetes awareness: Chris Dudley.
You might recognize him from an unfortunate late 90s basketball highlight, but Dudley is far more than the center that Shaq dunked on. After a successful 16-year career in the NBA, he created The Chris Dudley Foundation to support and empower children with diabetes. Ryan attended Dudley's basketball camp for type 1 diabetics in Oregon, and she was able to organize the first annual Blue Night in 2021 with the sponsorship of the Foundation.
This year's Blue Night will feature two games at Haverford versus Washington College. The women's basketball game will start at 6pm, followed by the men's game at 8pm. Tables outside of the gym will provide information sheets to help educate attendees on type 1 diabetes, and the women's soccer team is also hosting a sock drive around campus to help raise awareness for the cause. Ryan is looking forward to another successful event, and she hopes others continue to be part of the fight beyond November.
"Education's the first step towards a cure, and the more people know about type one diabetes, the closer we are to ultimately curing it," said Ryan. "So remember coming out on November 22 at 6pm wearing blue for type one diabetes awareness. Can't wait to see you guys there!"