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#82, Blog, diabetes, football, Holly Michael, Jake Byrne, juvenile diabetes, New Orleans Saints, NFL Draft, type 1 diabetes, University of Wisconsin, www.writingstraight.com
In the hospital room, I threw another shredded, soaked tissue into the trash. Tears had been gushing from my red, puffy eyes non-stop for three hours. My newborn son was about to have a blood transfusion. Jake was my first-born. I didn’t realize babies weren’t supposed to be yellow until it was almost too late. His soaring bilirubin counts even incited fear in the doctor. “Get him to the ER now!” she had ordered over the phone, after learning his test results.
Two nurses prepared an IV to be put in his head. Then came the crash! I jumped and nearly choked on my sob. The nurses gasped. We all turned around stared at the incubator with dropped jaws. The glass incubator door had swung down.
Jake had busted open the door. Totally true story. He’d squirmed a bit sideways and kicked it open. I have no idea how. Neither did the nurses. I guess he wasn’t having any of that blood transfusion stuff. I quit crying. My boy was going to be alright.
Turned out Jake’s bilirubin counts, at that point, began to come down and he wouldn’t need the blood transfusion. Jake grew up a happy, loving, big boy, with extraordinary strength, even doing chin-ups on the swing-set at age four.
In his sophomore year of high school, life changed for Jake. He was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. But Jake didn’t want a pity party, he wanted to play football. He had dreams of earning a football scholarship. The doctor told him if he took care of his health, he could still play. That’s all he needed to hear. The picture below shows him thinner, at the time he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
“Maybe God wants me to have diabetes for a purpose,” Jake would say, whenever I got weepy over his illness.
When his coach hinted at him being on steroids when he quickly began to beef up, he said, “No coach. I’m on insulin.”
Jake kept moving on, going the extra mile in work-outs, preparing for the next game. I never saw a child so determined. He never doubted he wouldn’t realize his dream to play college football.
Jake recently completed a four years football scholarship at the University of Wisconsin as a starting tight-end.
My type 1 diabetic child is now preparing to kick down the door of professional football. He had a great Pro Day and is now awaiting the NFL draft. Watch ESPN on April 26 to see what happens.
Before his Pro Day, I told Jake, “You’ve worked really hard. You already own the talent and skills necessary to go that next step. Pray and go. You’ll do great.” He confidently said, “I will Mom.”
Psalms 37:4 says, Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
God gives all of his creation gifts to succeed and achieve the dreams of their hearts. Consider David standing before that Philistine giant, Goliath. That’s what I call maximizing every gift God gives you to conquer the impossible. Don’t doubt. You can’t burst through doors by staring at them or leaning against them weeping. You gotta kick them down sometimes.
With prayer and determination, I’m busting through the door that says, “Novelist.” That’s my plan. I’m going to do it! Jake is my inspiration.
Infant Needing Blood Transfusion Kicks Open Incubator Door. Diabetic Teen Gets Football College Scholarship and Becomes an NFL Player. Shepard Boy With Slingshot Kills Giant. Author Holly Michael Wins Literary Awards.
Strange headlines? Not for the determined. Not for the fighters. Not for a person after the heart of God.
Bring on the doors! Let’s kick them down. What are the desires of your heart? What door do you want to bust through? Anything is possible. Pray and Go! And kick down that door!
***Update: Jake signed with the New Orleans Saints! How fitting! Go Jake!
That’s a lovely inspirational story. 🙂
LOVE IT! I’ll be rooting for you and Jake!
Proverbs 16:1-3 The Message: “Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good, God probes for what is good. Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.”
God’s promises! Amen!
Great post, Holly. I hope Jake gets good news from the NFL.
Love this one, Holly. Well, I love all of your posts. But this. . .this is beautiful. 🙂
Thanks Rhonda!
Jake is an inspiration to those of us with kids that have type 1 diabetes. He is just what Joey was praying for, when he asked me if he could play football, and I said “no, I don’t think I’m ready for that yet,” he reached out to Jake for help, and Jake obliged him.
Like Nick Jonas, Jake is an inspiration to kids, boys especially who have this disease, and want to play football. When Jake said, “Maybe God gave me this disease for a reason” he not only showed a great attitude, but a commitment to finding out what the reason is, and I think it’s to inspire young kids, who sometimes feel defeated by type 1, to raise up and realize that they can do anything their hearts desire, regardless of a disease that wants them to believe otherwise.
I hope that Joey gets to meet Jake one day, he loves the emails from him, and admires him so much.
Thanks for sharing Jake’s story. We love following his career, and pray that his dreams of being an NFL player come true.
Thank you Theresa, I am sure our boys will meet in person sometime soon.
Holly, thanks for sharing that great post about your inspirational son…What a blessing for you, for the Lord, and for the world. Keep on writing. You help us all want to kick down those doors!!
Yay Glenda! Go kick some doors!
Holly, This is a wonderfully inspirational story; one I’d like to share with the clients at Mission Unity (the host facility of St. Monica’s Mission). Thank you. Fr. George Fuchs
Please do, Father George
What a great post. We’ll be keeping our eyes open for Jake playing pro. I say we because my husband is a huge football fan. Anything is possible with Christ.
Thanks Melissa. We are waiting!
Wow!! I remember when he was in the hospital as a baby. This story gave me goose bumps, you are both an inspiration to me!! I’m looking forward to reading your book, and watching Jake in the NFL!!
Thanks Carrie!
What an a-ma-zing story! I’ll be rooting for you and Jake on the 26th!
Thanks!!
Nice tie-in to the letter J. Looks like your writing is going great!
It is…once I made up my mind to get serious about it!
Very nice Holly – you GO for it!
Beautiful, heart-warming story!
That is a GREAT story! Good luck to Jake!! 🙂
This post made me a little teary eyed! What a wonderful story and testimony Jake has!! I’ll be following up to see how far he goes!! I’ll be praying for him, too! What an inspiration!!
Hi Holly! Great post. Jake is quite an inspirational young man.
Susanne
PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER
Thanks Suzanne. He’s always been a good conscientious kid.
Very inspiring story, Holly! With God, all things are possible!
Wonderful, inspiring post. (And beautiful writing!)
Loved the Iona post too (my moms name).
Thanks Trish
That is one hell of a story. You must be so proud.
Hope you’re enjoying the challenge so far!
–Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
I am proud and am enjoying it. Thanks for stopping by!
You should be proud. Keep enjoying it.
Love this story.
Thank you! I just emailed this story to my son. I know Maxie will be rooting for Jake.
Jen
Thanks Jen, Jake is pretty excited. We are waiting for April 26th! ESPN Draft day!
We are ALL kicking down those doors!
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Really a nice inspiring story. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. Go kick some doors.i’ll be kicking with you
Thanks 🙂
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Just found your blog, Holly. You’re a great writer plus I love the story of your son. I was afraid it was going to be a sad ending – so happy he’s doing so well!
Thanks Barb, He’s doing well. Really excited to be in the NFL.
I am an Ohio State Buckeye Fan, and don’t really care for the Badgers. I am now a fan of the Badger now turned Saint, Jake Byrne. Good Luck in his new endeavor!!
Thanks Ryan! I’ll pass that message along to him!
Now I have two teams to root for – the Saints, and also the Bears-Jay Cutler:) Can’t wait for Football season! Woohoo!
Congratulations to you and your son!! He is a great example and inspiration to other with diabetes!! And the Saints were my late Uncle’s favorite team – so they hold a special place in my heart. 🙂
Thanks Karen!
I loooooove this! What an inspiration…I can’t wait to share this story with all my boys. Thank you for your sweet comment on my blog. Much love to you, and congratulations! ❤
Awesomesauce! What an inspiration. I will be rooting for you Jake!
Thanks Jen!!!
Awesome and amazing! I’m always excited when I see someone with T1 diabetes making it in their lives. I’ve been living w/ T1 for 26 years (since I was 4). It’s a tough thing, but much like your son, not a lot has been stopped by my having diabetes. It’s just another part of life and something that, while an annoyance, is part of who I am as a person and has helped me become the adult I am today. 🙂
God is amazing and has blessed me every step of the way. Also, much like your son, I was a sick infant. Born a month early with a heart problem, my mother (who was adopting me from another state) was told not to bother coming to the hospital to get me because I wasn’t going to make it. She told the doctor that she WAS coming and that I would be fine because she’d been praying for a baby girl for 3 years. She got on the next plane out of town and the doctor (who was a proclaimed atheist) told his nurses that I would be fine because he’d been told by my mom that God was going to work through him.
God did. And I was fine.
He is amazing and blesses those who love Him. Congrats to you and your son.
What a beautiful story of your life Beth. Thank you for sharing your heartwarming story. God bless you and your mom!!
Congratulations to your son. I will now have a new favorite player in the NFL. And thanks for sharing how faith played a role in Jake’s life. That was my favorite part. Blessings to both of you. I wish him much luck in the NFL!!
Congratulations to your son. I will now have a new favorite player in the NFL. And thanks for sharing how faith played a role in Jake’s life. That was my favorite part. Blessings to both of you. I wish him much luck in the NFL!!
Thank you Janet. I appreciate your comments. I’ll pass along the comments to Jake. He’ll be glad he has a fan!
Thank you Janet!
Hi Holly, a friend recommended your blog to me (God knew what He was doing) and I am so glad to know about you and your family! We live in New Orleans and my 8 year old son, Jeremiah, is a type 1 diabetic like Jake. I loved reading his story and seeing how diabetes hasn’t held him back from doing anything. How proud you must be! Jeremiah is doing great as well, growing at the speed of light. We are working hard right now to get him a diabetic alert dog through Warren Retrievers and we are also in the process of forming the first and only non-profit diabetic support group in the New Orleans area. A lot of great things are happening in this great city and I’m so glad to have your son join us here. He will love it. We would love to be in contact with him and you guys if y’all are up for it. We are having a big benefit night coming up on June 2nd at the Ormond Plantation House for Jeremiah and would love for Jake, and you guys if you’re in town, to come as our guest. It’s going to be a really fun night. You can find out more info about it and us on our family’s blog http://www.wholefamilystrong.com. Our support group’s website is http://www.littlenoladiabetics.com if you’d like to check that out too. So glad to have “met” you guys and overjoyed to have Jake join us here in New Orleans with the Saints. I am overwhelmed at the many “Wow God” moments we have…like this! 🙂
Thank you so much for visiting my blog. So glad Jeremiah is doing well. The diabetic alert dog sounds really interesting. I didn’t know there was such a thing. I will share this message with Jake. Thank you for the invitation. I’m not sure if we will be in New Orleans then, but we’d love to come if we are. I’ll let you know. I appreciate your invitation. So glad to meet you too. I’m going to check out your blogs now. Holly
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I came here from Meri’s blog… My daughter Elise was dx’d with type 1 at the age of 12 months. She’s now 4. I love stories like these that I can share with her to show her that diabetes should never stand in her way. Thank you for sharing.
Joanne. Thanks for coming over. I’m glad you did!
We live in Louisiana and are Saints fans and will be cheering for him. He is an inspiration to my 9 year old daughter who has T1 hopefully we will see him at the New Orleans JDRF walk this year. Who Dat
Thanks! I’ll pass this on to Jake!
What a great story! Thanks for sharing! My son was jaundice at birth too. His Bili count was 18 (His older brothers was 29) and was treated right away. At the age of 2 1/2 Elliot was diagnosed with T1. He is doing great and has played in his first baseball game tonight. Thanks for giving us moms with sports kids a good outlook!
Your welcome Mea. Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad that Elliot is doing well! He may end up on a professional team some day too!
This story makes me so happy. Congrats to Jake on his amazing new job!!! I think I need a Saints jersey now. I’m betting the DOC will be supporting him all the way. Go Saints!!! 🙂
Meagan, glad it made you happy and thanks for stopping by. I’m now a Saints fan, too!
Hi Holly! Thanks for sharing Jake’s story. So glad to see that he didn’t let diabetes hold him back. I am from Louisiana so the Saints hold a special place in my heart. Will be looking forward to seeing him play.
Maybe in a few years he can come to the Children With Diabetes Friends For Life conference and share his experiences playing football with diabetes. The kids love hearing from celebrities who have not let diabetes get in the way of their dreams!
He hopes to have a platform to help others. Thanks for stopping by.
Very touching and inspiring….we are blessed with our children that have Type 1 diabetes…go out into the world and soar children!
Thank you for stopping by. It’s good to see them soar!
Thank you for sharing this story. It is all I can do to stop myself from bawling into my coffee cup right now. My son Fred, the joy of my life, was diagnosed a year and a half ago at 13. Just thank you, that’s all I can say right now. You understand.
Awww, Bless you!!!!
I’m passing this note onto Jake with your email address. Your comments also help him. This is all very overwhelming for him too. He wants to ahve a platform to help the diabetes community.
Thanks for sharing your story with us. It is always a Blessing to see someone living their dreams while enduring this issue we deal with 24/7. Such an inspiration he is and I am thinking my Type 1 daughter will have to have a new Saints jersey this year. We are die hard Saints fans and are super excited to have him join our Black & Gold. Who Dat says they can live their dreams!!!!! Hoping we get to meet you guys in person at our JDRF Walk in November. Please tell him he is in our thoughts and prayers for a very Safe, Fun, year with the Saints!!!!!
Thanks for the kinds words. Jake will be so happy, knowing that he is in your prayers. Continue to pray for him as this is a stressful, but exciting time for him. He for sure wants to be a part of the JDRF community and I’ll pass along the information about the walk to him.
Born and raised in New Orleans, a lifelong Saints fan, and mom of a 12 Year old Type1 diabetic son. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to see Jake come to my town. He will be just what my son needs to boost his spirit and confidence, as he goes through what we call “diabetic fatigue”. He fights so hard everyday just to be “normal” and sometimes it gets overwhelming for him. Thanks so much for sharing your story and tell Jake he is in good hands here in New Orleans. GEAUX Saints!!!
Shannon, thanks so much for your note. I will pass your comments on to Jake. Maybe some day he and Jake can meet.
Holly,
Thanks for following my blog.
Both of my parents had diabetes, as does my husband and my two nieces (of course it’s adult onset) but I know how debilitating it can be.
Good luck to you and your brother with your project.
Pat
Thanks Pat. Jake’s my son…I”m older than you think! lol! I do appreciate your comment. The disease is difficult, no matter if it’s type 1 or 2. Hope your husband is doing ok. Best wishes to you both.
A very close friend of mine’s granddaughter has juvenile diabetes and she said it’s so amazing with kids are young, they learn what they can and cannot eat, give themselves insulin, and test themselves. I guess one learns to live with it like Mary Tyler Moore and Halle Berry.
Jake really managed everything himself so well, that I hardly did anything. He’s had an incredible attitude.
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“Strange headlines? Not for the determined. Not for the fighters. Not for a person after the heart of God.” I love that, Holly! It’s not strange for one after the heart of God. Such an inspiring and encouraging story. Blessed to have read it today. Thank you & thanks for liking my post, too. Congratulations to your son! And to you, too!
Thanks bella! Glad you came by! Have a blessed day!
Wonderful story of determination and God’s grace! Thanks for sharing this inspiring story!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the follow, but, that’s an old blog address. Here’s the new one: http://brvan.com and I’d love for you to follow me there!
By the way, following you as well. I look forward to learning about your son’s progress. I’m a big sports fan and in recent years, I’ve added the Saints to my “Watch” list because of Drew Brees…
Sure, I’ll keep you posted. Keep him in your prayers today. He’s in rookie minicamp and he asked for prayers, saying this is the hardest thing he’s ever done.
Wonderful story, Holly. Just what a Christian football fan like me loves to read. In fact, it’s what I needed to read right now, having just received some disappointing news.
Even so, you are absolutely right: it’s about whether we are willing to kick down the doors (heck, it feels more like *walls* here lately) that lie before us to obtain the reward on the other side. Because of Christ, we are more than conquerors. We have to report for battle.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Blessings to you, Jake and the rest of your family.
Henry, Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words. Jake is really battling it out this weekend. Life is just not ever easy, is it?
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I can’t help smiling when I think of how Jake must love hearing you tell the story of him kicking open that incubator door! I mean seriously – that’s one strong guy and he made that known from the start. What a great post ~ I’m officially a Saints fan now. And a Holly M
Thanks Diane. I’ve told him many times. He’s a great kid. He’s still a kid, even though he’s 6’5″
Sorry – I didn’t get to finish that last comment (trying to do it on my iPhone – should know better). I meant to say I’m also now a Holly Michaels fan! Wonderful post…!
So sweet!!! Thanks
I’m barely keeping composed right now. What a tremendously inspiring story. I’m without words. I truly believe God gives us everything we need to WIN but how many of us use what God gave us. I’m so amazed at how our children can inspire us. I’m so inspired by your son … Thank you for posting this.
Awww, how sweet. Thanks! Jake survived rookie training camp and is now practicing with the Saints…hoping all goes well.
Very inspirational. I am all about following your dreams no matter what. You must be one proud Mom! Thanks for following my blog.
Thanks Darlene. He’s a sweet boy and I am proud! Glad to meet you and follow your blog!
Hello Holly and thanks for following 8kidsandabusiness. In my profession as a registered nurse, I care for many diabetics, type 1 and 2. Jake’s story is very powerful. Your son is a role model for diabetics everywhere. Part of the reason he has such a positive attitude is because he has you.
Awww…thanks 🙂
Hi there Holly,
I literally stumbled upon your blog and I sit here thinking there must be a reason!
My twins were in the NICU 8 years ago and my son Matt was known as the first neo-nate to extubate himself! His twin brother was being extubated and Matt actually pulled out his own tube! They were amazed! It was then that I knew he was a fighter! And he still is! Living each day with type 1 with an unbeleivable resiliance and grace! He amazes me EVERY day!
Matt was dx with Type 1 Diabetes just under 2 years ago. I have thrown myself into fundraising for JDRF. tonight I was googling about writing some sort of play about a day in the life of Moms of kids with type 1 to be used a a fundraiser, for JDRF and possibly for my son getting a DAD ( diabetic Alert Dog), and your blog popped up. As I snooped around your blog I came accross this post. We are HUGE football fans and I can’t wait to check out Jake and share his story with my son! The only thing that would make this story better would be if he was drafted to the Patriots!! (sorry, but I was born and raised a die-hard New England Fan!) I can agree to root for the Saint’s and Jake as long as they are not playing us!! All kidding aside, I wonder if you would be willing to give me some input/pointers on writing my own scrpt??
Hi! Email me at hjmichael@sbcglobal.net and I can offer what little knowledge I have. Thanks for the comments!
Reblogged this on AllThingsBoys Blog.
Will be rooting for him! Love NOLA! Lived there for three years! Inspiring story, love your blog! Thank you for visiting mine so I could find yours! Congrats on the book!
Thanks for stopping by and for reblogging Jake’s story. He played his first professional football game Sunday, a pre-season game. They won. He did great.