Type 1 diabetes not a problem for Kalamazoo United freshman Brandon Murray – MLive.com

Despite being just a freshman, Kalamazoo United's Brandon Murray has carved out a contributingrole for the team. What's even more impressive is his doing so despite a type 1 diabetes diagnosis.

According to the American Diabetes Association type 1 diabetes, formerly known asjuvenile diabetes,is when the body does not produce insulin.

"The body breaks down the sugars and starches you eat into a simple sugar called glucose, which it uses for energy," the website reads. "Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives."

Dealing with diabetes is something Murray has had to adjust to over the last couple of years, after getting diagnosed as a 10-year-old.

In fifth grade, when I was 10-years-old, around halfway through the season I started not feeling well," Murray said "I couldn't skate a full shift, I was always thirsty and had to use the bathroom while I was on the ice. It was becoming a problem in school and in hockey and I wasn't feeling like me.

"We went to my cousin's house to visit and my aunt who is a nurse suggested to my mom that I get a check up. The lady in the walk-in clinic said we should go to the emergency room and within a few hours they tested my blood sugar and urine and a couple of weeks after that I knew what it was."

Adjusting to every day life after his diagnosis was a challenge, but as time wore on Murray became more and more comfortable with his condition.

"It was embarrassing to check my blood sugar in the locker room or give myself insulin with my pen," Murray said. "It felt like I was the different kid, but it made me stronger and I could communicate with my teammates better. As I got more questions, I became more familiar with how to answer and I wasn't the weird one anymore.

I just had to accept the fact that it's not going to go away anytime soon and embrace it, so that I can better educate people on how it affects your every day life."

That ADA notes that "sometimes people experience a drop in blood glucose during or after exercise, so it is very important to monitor your blood glucose, take proper precautions, and be prepared to treat hypoglycemia," the website read.

To learn how different types of activity affect you the ADA suggests that you should frequently check your blood glucose before, during, and after an exercise session.

Through trial and error, Murray had to learn what kept his levels balanced so that he could stay healthy in his athletic endeavors. Now that he has adjusted, Murray feels better than ever on the ice.

"I learned to play hockey with diabetes, it was a struggle but I feel its made me a better hockey player," Murray said. "I always have to check my blood sugar better on game day, if I was too high or too low it would affect my performance. Ive learned a balanced amount of eating and snacking to avoid lows or highs."

United coach Tyler Kindle spoke very highly of Murray. Kindle has been impressed with his young guy's ability to compete with older athletes.

That can be a difficult situation and he handles it really well, it hasn't been a distraction at all," Kindle said. "He has to be very disciplined to take care of that while competing and he does very well.

Hes a strong kid, which is huge for a freshman to have the strength to step in and compete against older kids. Hes going to be a big part of the the team going forward as he improves, he has the potential to be a top defensemen at the high school level.

Murray has played in 18 of United's 20 games this season, becoming more comfortable with his role and the team every day.

"He's having a really solid season for a freshman, hes been able to step in and chew up some time on the back end and hes been a great addition to our defense," Kindle said. He gets a pretty regular shifts on the back end and hes done a good job playing against kids three or four years older than him.

Hes been a great kid to have around, hes always got something pretty witty to say. He was really quiet at first, but hes fit in really well.

Murray doesn't think of his diabetes as a weakness, it has become a hidden strength something that he can take pride in.

Im very proud of it, I participate in walks, it feels good that Im not the only person with the disease and I can talk to other people with it and they understand, Murray said "Before my diagnosis, I wasn't at my full potential. Something was holding me back and I feel like this was it; I don't know how, but it's allowed me to grow into a stronger hockey player.

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Type 1 diabetes not a problem for Kalamazoo United freshman Brandon Murray - MLive.com