Tag Archives: juvenile diabetes

Football: Jake update

18 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in Family, Football

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Jake played his second preseason game last night for the Houston Texans. We’re so proud of him. And the fact that he’s only one of two players in the NFL with Type One Diabetes, makes his success even more sweet! He’s doing great! Keep him in your prayers that he earns a spot on the final roster! Next game is August 25th, next Sunday against the Saints!

534023_10153122362280635_1738776839_nGo Jake!!!

 

 

Joey FINALLY Meets His Favorite Football Player, Mentor, and Friend!!

02 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by in Jake Byrne

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What makes a mom proud? Sure, it’s nice to have a son in the NFL, but having a son with type 1 diabetes, who goes out of his way to mentor a young boy with type one who wants to play football…that’s what makes a mom proud.

Joey FINALLY Meets His Favorite Football Player, Mentor, and Friend!!.

Walking on Water

09 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in Christianity, Crooked Lines, Diabetes, Family, Football, Inspiration, Jake Byrne, Prayer Request

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For the last four years, while my son Jake was a starting tight-end for the Wisconsin Badgers, I was writing and editing my first novel. We both proclaimed our lofty dreams when we were children. NFL player. Novelist. Using the talents God gave us, we both worked hard and honed our talents, even through a myriad of challenges, including Jake’s diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

In an earlier blog, Novelist Aspirations and NFL Dreams, I shared about a mother-son connection that allowed four-year-old Jake’s fears to travel from his dreams into mine. “Connections,” is the theme of this blog; to connected to each other to inspire and share about life and writing.

The connections between my son and I continue. When Jake earned recognition in the Rose Bowl, I earned an award in a major writing contest. Jake got an agent at the same time I got an agent. Not an easy task. Getting an agent means someone, other than yourself, believes in your talents and is willing to invest in you.

Jake signed with the New Orleans Saints. He survived Rookie Camp and we are looking forward to the football season. Go Saints! My novel is being shopped around at publishing houses. Newbies in being a NFL player and a Novelist, we can’t help but wonder, “Will they like us? How far will we go?”

All of us experience moments of, “Wow! I made it this far. Do I have the talent, the strength, the ability to come out from the cusp of this dream and live it?”  But a life of faith is about perseverance, taking risks, and moving forward, knowing God is with us.

Yet sometimes it seems we are walking on water and could sink at any time. Consider Peter’s attempt to walk on water to get to Jesus from Matthew 14:25-31: Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified.

“It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage!l It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Peter could not walk on water on his own power. He asks Jesus to tell him to come, in faith, knowing that it’s God’s power that will make it happen. In any situation, if we pray and ask God to lead us, He will.

But when Peter saw the wind, and looked into the troubled waters, he was afraid, and began to sink. The wind can be any threat to our dreams and can come in the form of a moment of self-doubt, a discouraging word from another, or in the form of a physical condition. But when we, as Christian’s, commit ourselves, our plans, our lives to God, we can trust that the power of God will sustain us.

Maybe at times, like Peter, we get into troubled waters and doubt God’s power in our situation. We cry, “Lord, save me.” That in itself keeps us afloat. Jesus will always immediately reach out His hand and catch us. Why do we have such little faith at times?

I expressed to Jake that it feels like we are walking on water now. It seems a miracle for both of us to have come this far. While we have worked hard, we understand that we haven’t come this far on our own. The power of God is as much a part of both of our life’s walk as our breathing. We have committed our lives and our careers to Him. We are confident that if we keep our eyes on Christ, He will allow us mere humans to do the impossible, to walk on water, to achieve things we could not otherwise imagine.

We walk on in faith, praying for the power of God to guide us. His power can make miracles happen. I’ve seen it.

Z is for: Jake’s got a new Zip Code!

28 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in A to Z Challenge, Diabetes, Football, Jake Byrne

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Woohoo!!! This is the best way to end this A to Z challenge! My son, Jake, a tight-end with the Wisconsin Badgers, now has a new Zip Code! He just signed with the New Orleans Saints. Thanks be to God!

Want to know more about Jake Byrne, including his battles with type 1 diabetes, and how he got to be a “saint,” read below:

https://writingstraight.com/2012/04/28/y-is-for-yours/

https://writingstraight.com/2012/04/11/j-is-for-jake-and-juvenile-diabetes/

https://writingstraight.com/2012/04/25/v-is-for-the-virgin-mary-and-an-nfl-victory/

https://writingstraight.com/2012/02/19/nfl-aspirations-and-novelist-dreams-follow-the-fairytales-as-they-come-true/

New Orleans! My shocked kids!

Yes YOU! You did it Jake! You were an awesome player in high school, even while struggling with a diabetes diagnosis. 

You were a fantastic Badger!

So proud of you!!

And a good brother to sister Betsy and to brother Nick!

Congratulations Jake!!!! Whew! Glad the A to Z challenge is over and Jake got on an NFL Team. Go Saints! I also got an agent for my novel and hope to be the next one in the family to get a big contract! All glory to God!

Y is for Yours

28 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in A to Z Challenge, Diabetes, Football, Inspiration, Jake Byrne

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In my A to Z blog challenge, I wanted to wait and blog a “Y is for Yahoo,” but thought of this Y post instead. My hope is to post a yahoo later. For now, I’m posting “Yours.” Here’s why:

Today, with anxiety and anticipation, I wait to hear if my son Jake will be drafted into the NFL. It takes me back 22 years when I was admitted in the hospital and with anxiety and anticipation, I listened to the doctor. He said, “You will most likely miscarry.”

It had been a rough morning. Crimson bed sheets. Cramps. Telltale clots. Didn’t look good four months into my pregnancy. The doctor offered zero hope.

Shortly after he left, a nurse entered the room, not checking me physically, but examining my emotional state. “Have hope,” she said, before she patted my hand and left.

Though I never saw that nurse again, her words sparked hope and ignited my first grown-up prayer. It was simple. “My baby is yours, God.”

I was young, scared, and needed someone way bigger than me to deal with something I couldn’t handle. I remember telling God that though I wanted this baby with all of my heart, whatever the outcome, I would trust Him. If the outcome was not what I wanted, I would be sad, but I would still trust that it was His will. It was a decision. A prayer.

After the prayer, a wave of peace washed over me. God gave me an immediate answer. When another nurse came into the room, I heard Jake’s heartbeat for the fist time.

A few months later, when Jake was born and I looked into his eyes for the first time, I was sure I glimpsed Heaven in those eyes. A look of wisdom of his knowledge of where he’d just been. He connected with me, peered deep into my eyes and cooed. The moment stunned me. I felt as if the coos were a thank you for the prayers I’d offered months earlier. Then, in an instant, the look in his eyes switched to that of an innocent newborn.

From that moment, I knew God had a purpose for Jake to be born. I also realized that my prayers would be an important part of his life. When he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in his teens, and my anxiety would get the best of me, I would again tell God, “He is yours.”

Today, as we wait to see if Jake is drafted in the NFL, I remind myself to let go of my anxiety and pray the same prayer I offered twenty-two years ago, and repeated many times: “Lord, He’s yours. Whatever the outcome, he belongs to you.”

V is for The Virgin Mary and an NFL Victory

25 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in A to Z Challenge, Christianity, Diabetes, Football, Inspiration, Jake Byrne

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The story behind the photograph: My husband and I were staying with our friend, Father Joseph Matthew (administrator), at a quiet private novitiate in Rosemead, California when we discovered this image on the courtyard sidewalk. The date was January 1st, 2012 (feast of the Solemnity of Virgin Mary, Mother of God). Our son, Jake Byrne (Wisconsin Badger) was playing in the 2012 Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena. The rose (notice the rose theme) is a symbol for the Virgin Mary, who is also called the Mystical Rose.

Father Joseph Matthew, whom my husband has known since childhood, had been watering potted plants on the sidewalk. He testified that the water, staining the sidewalk, had formed this image above. The circular mark in the center bottom was where the pot rested.

We were in Rosemead because of Jake’s football game. Jake had started for the Wisconsin Badgers for the last four years and after the game, he would leave college and enter into training camp to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Jake, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, has worked really hard to get to this point. He’s always been a determined, thoughtful, kind, and faithful son. (You can read more about Jake’s determination here.)

Back in January, standing before this image of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, I prayed to God, asking Mary to also pray and intercede for a blessing for Jake as well as blessings for other loved ones.

If we can ask our friends to pray for us, and we, as Christians believe in eternal life, then I see no reason why we can’t also ask the Virgin Mary to pray before the throne of God, for our intentions. She, after all, bore the Son of God in her womb. And not only was she a follower of Christ, she watched him suffer and die an excruciating death on the cross for humanity. She felt the pain a mother would naturally feel for her son. She must love us all so very much, to stand by and watch something I could not imagine watching, especially if it was my son. I hold the Virgin Mary dear to my heart and consider her my Mother in Heaven, a saint above all saints.

Tomorrow begins the NFL draft and it goes until Saturday. We are hoping for a victory, for Jake to be drafted.

I am a mother, praying for her son. Surely, the Virgin Mary understands that.

Go Jake! We love you!

*Follow up: Jake signed with the New Orleans Saints. How fitting!

A to Z Blog Challenge: U is for Unicorns and an Unbeleivable story.

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in A to Z Challenge, Diabetes, Football, Jake Byrne

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Weird, but this morning I woke  from a dream about a beautiful unicorn. I have no idea what that means, but I took it as a good sign. I googled dream meanings, and it said dreams of Unicorn mean hidden strength. And did you know Unicorns are mentioned in the Bible, several times, including these:

KJV Numbers 23:22 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.

KJV Psalm 92:10. But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

And I found this online: Unicorn: the unicorn — mentioned in the Bible, by the way: see Psalm 21:22, 28:6 (Psalms 22 and 29 in the King James Bible), 92:11; and Isaias 34:7 — is a symbol of chastity and of Christ Himself. Medieval legend had it that the unicorn, a feisty and fierce animal, could not be easily hunted, but if a virgin were to sit in the forest, the unicorn would find her and lay its head upon her lap. The hunter could then come by and take its horn, which was seen as having profound medical qualities (for ex., it was said to eliminate the harmful effects of a poisoned liquid). The picturing of a virgin and unicorn together, then, was common during the Age of Faith — the former representing Our Lady, and the latter representing Christ, Who brought forth the “horn of salvation.”

And because it’s NFL DRAFT WEEK, I’ll just post this link to a unbeleivable, but true story (from my blog) about a little baby (my son) who kicked open an incubator door, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, then went onto play college football at the University of Wisconsin. (If you read it already, at least pray and root for Jake, as he has chance to get drafted in the NFL.) Draft process begins Thursday. I’ll keep you informed through my blog and twitter. And if you want to read more about Jake, I also write about him (and other stuff) in these posts:

https://writingstraight.com/2012/02/19/nfl-aspirations-and-novelist-dreams-follow-the-fairytales-as-they-come-true/

https://writingstraight.com/2012/04/02/a-to-z-challenge-b-is-for-blessings/ (SO to Betsy and Nick, my other children, who are equally as brilliant, cute and talented as Jake).

https://writingstraight.com/2012/02/15/how-does-it-all-connect/

And, just because there are so many other good blogs in the A to Z challenge, I’d like to give a shout out to:

1. Erin M Hartshorn, Science fiction and fantasy author, because she blogs about Unicorns today, too.

2. Nate Wilson’s: Sometimes the Wheel is on Fire, because I found his blog posts fascinating.

3. Rosalind Adams is Writing in the Rain. Rosalind is a writer, workshop leader, wife, mother, committed worrier and nostalgia obsessive.

4. Dawn Malone’s: Here’s the story. About Musings About Books, Writing, and Little Inspirations That Grow Big Stories. It’s a really nice blog. I liked it!

5. By Word of Beth because I like her blog topics: Writing, Reading, the Arts, and Life.

Ok, gotta finish edits TONIGHT, so I can be more creative with V.

J is for Jake and Juvenile Diabetes

11 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in A to Z Challenge, Diabetes, Football, Inspiration, Jake Byrne

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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!

NFL Aspirations and Novelist Dreams: Follow the fairytales as they come true

19 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in Football, Jake Byrne

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I don’t remember the dream, only the worried face that popped into it. Jake. My four-year-old. Why was his face in my dream? Minutes later, a tap on my shoulder woke me.

“Had a bad dream, Mom,” Jake said.

I lifted the covers, pulled Jake close, and kissed the top of his head, amazed at this strange connection that allowed my son’s fears to travel from his dreams into mine.

Mom’s have connections like that with their children. Sometimes a prickle of worry regarding one of my kids will flash in my mind like a sudden rainstorm pocking up a calm lake. I stop, drop, and pray. Most times, I discover those feelings were on the mark, and my child needed prayers.

Jake had dreams of becoming an NFL player. What little boy doesn’t? Then as a sophomore in high school, he was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. Jake refused to accept it as an obstacle. He wanted to play football on a college scholarship. He pushed himself hard: extra workouts, more discipline, never missing a practice. Jake gave his diabetes and his football dreams to God.

“Maybe God want’s me to have diabetes for a greater purpose,” Jake often expressed.

For the last last four years I’ve watched Jake start as a tight end for the Wisconsin Badgers. (Jake Byrne #82) Now, Jake has an agent and a good shot at the NFL.

Like my son, I proclaimed lofty dreams when I was a child. I wanted to be a novelist. I held onto that goal, learning and improving my writing skills in spite of rejection letters and self-doubt obstacles along my path toward publication. Now, an agent is reading my novel.

Jake and I aren’t sitting back, biting our nails as we wait for our dreams to happen. I’m working on my second book, blogging, and preparing to become a novelist. Jake’s preparing for the NFL draft.

If a boy with type I diabetes can work hard and become an NFL player, then his mom can be a novelist. Lofty goals? Fairytales? NFL player and Novelist. Sometimes we just know what we want and with God’s blessing, hard work, a little God-given talent, and support from others, it can happen.

Mother and child connections. Funny we’re both, at the same time, standing at the cusp of our dreams becoming reality, ready to wake up and be the people we were meant to be.

Follow my blog as I share about connections, hope, and writing. I’ll keep you posted about my book and other books to come and how Jake fares in the upcoming draft.