Welcome to Breakthrough T1D Bay Area’s blog, One on 1, a series of interviews with people who live with T1D. Members of the community will talk about how T1D affects them, how they manage it and how they have conquered it. Today we talk with Shelby Payne, Stanford women’s soccer forward, who is finishing up her senior year in pre-med:
Breakthrough T1D Bay Area: You were diagnosed with T1D on Christmas Day 2004 at the age of 11. With your 10 year mark approaching, how have you evolved with T1D?
Shelby: Wow, I don’t even want to think that it has been 10 years! From the day I was diagnosed, I have never let T1D stop me from doing anything but I believe that the largest change has been in how I present myself with T1D. When I was younger I used to hide the fact that I had T1D. It was a secret that I wouldn’t mention to anyone. Now, I realize how much people care and want to help me with my management and how much I can help others. I am much more open about having T1D because it makes me more accountable to myself and allows me to mentor some amazing kids I would have never been able to meet otherwise.
Breakthrough T1D Bay Area: The Stanford women’s soccer season just ended. How did it go?
Shelby: My senior season playing for Stanford was definitely one to remember. We finished in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA National tournament, losing to the team that ended up winning it all. As a competitor, I am always wanting more and wish we could have continued playing longer but it was a fun season and there were some great wins along the way. As I look back on my career, I will never forget my sophomore year when we won the National Championship!
Breakthrough T1D Bay Area: How do you manage your T1D while on the field?
Shelby: Great question! I have a different routine for practices and games that I try my best to follow. For games, I have a pregame meal about four hours before the kickoff time. I will give myself the full dose on my insulin pump and then I will eat a smaller snack about an hour and a half before the game. I will only give a small amount of insulin for my snack as I want my blood sugar to rise a little as I go into warm-up that begins 45 minutes before the game. I like to begin games with only a very little amount of insulin in my system, because I know as soon as I start sprinting around, my numbers will begin to drop. The team athletic trainer and I work closely together and have a system down where she has glucose tabs and gel packs ready for me if we see my numbers dropping. I try to do everything to prevent lows because they make playing soccer very difficult! I also wear a Dexcom G4 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that is my favorite T1D tool. The CGM doesn’t receive my blood sugar readings while I am on the field but leading up to the game (or practice) and at halftime, I can see my blood sugar trends and adjust with a little dose of insulin or glucose accordingly. I end up testing around 10-12 times before, after, and at halftime of a game, and about 6 times throughout a practice.
Breakthrough T1D Bay Area: Your twin sister Sydney also plays for Stanford women’s soccer. You are a dynamic duo!
Shelby: Yes, we are! Sydney is the best sister I could ever ask for. I couldn’t imagine living without her and it has been incredible to be able to play with her at Stanford. She is the first one to make a joke about something funny I did while I was low and the first one to make sure I am taking my insulin at meals. We have a great relationship and she is always right by my side whether it’s travelling to another country for soccer or studying for the MCAT. We really try to embrace life and live it to the fullest. Sydney is also my built in alarm. When I don’t wake up to my CGM low alert, she will make sure to hit me (hard) with the pillow until I wake up. Let’s just say it wakes her up more that it does for me.
Breakthrough T1D Bay Area: Do you have advice for incoming college students (and their parents) who live with T1D?
Shelby: I would advise an incoming college student to find a doctor right away that you work well with at or near your school, if you are not close to home. Having a close relationship with my doctors throughout my four years at Stanford has been so helpful. I would recommend getting a personal fridge to keep insulin in your room and to tell your roommate that you have T1D. They might actually be interested in learning more. For parents, my big advice would be to NOT WORRY. Your kid is responsible and knows how to manage their T1D. Management of T1D doesn’t change much in college and they can definitely handle it.
Breakthrough T1D Bay Area: You have become a role model for young people living with T1D. What’s your core message to them?
Shelby: With T1D, you can still do anything and everything that you ever wanted to do. You have to be a little more responsible than your peers, but you can still do everything that anyone else can. Never let T1D stop you from chasing your dreams and instead, let it motivate you to show the world what you can do WITH T1D.
Breakthrough T1D Bay Area: What are your plans after graduation?
Shelby: I am still uncertain of what my exact plans are following graduation in June. I have a little over a year before I start medical school in the Fall of 2015, during which I am looking into professional soccer options, travelling and working with different diabetes organizations.
