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Posted November 15, 2007

Prep spotlight: Assumption's Sigler doesn't let diabetes stop her from athletic career
By Mark Massoglia
Daily Tribune Staff
mark.massoglia@cwnews.net

At one time or another, all athletes struggle with their various sports.

Liz Sigler, a three-sport student/athlete at Assumption High School, is no exception despite the fact that she excels no matter what season.

While things come easy for Sigler on the court or pitch -- she plays volleyball, basketball and soccer and even dabbled in tennis this past fall -- the 17-year-old senior has to monitor her health more than her teammates.

When she was one year old she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and has had to monitor her blood sugar levels ever since. At first it was to stay healthy while growing up, but keeping on top of her condition became more important when she became more serious about sports in junior high school.

"When I was doing more in sports and exercising more I had to be even more careful about monitoring my blood sugar," Sigler said. "I normally check my blood sugar four or five times a day, but during sports, that jumps to about eight times a day."

That means poking her finger and administering shots much more often, especially for a sport like basketball.

"Volleyball and soccer are more like a marathon. They don't take as much out of me," she noted. "Basketball is a power sport and you're always moving, so I have to be more careful."

The normal blood sugar level is between 120 and 140. In a diabetic, those numbers are lower or higher and either can be dangerous to a person with the condition.

To ensure she hits the target zone, Sigler lets her blood sugar stay slightly elevated to accommodate for the exercise she receives during practice or a game.

"Before a basketball practice I'll let my blood sugar level get around 200 because it's going to come down during practice," Liz Sigler said. "The biggest thing for me is to know my symptoms. I can tell when I need to get something to eat to adjust my blood sugar. Exercise and diet are very important to a person with diabetes, so I watch both things closely."

Her mother, Sarah Sigler, was always close by when she was a budding athlete.

"Elizabeth has never let diabetes hold her back and she's never complained about it, but I was always around when she was younger," said Sarah of her oldest daughter. "We never really worried too much because we had all the confidence in the world that she would take care of herself, but I wanted to be close by just in case."

Once her daughter got to Assumption, Sarah Sigler stopped going to practices and now just attends games.

"She was around a lot when I was younger, but I appreciated it," Liz Sigler said. "I wouldn't be so active in sports without her."

Her diligence in monitoring her disease has made it almost a nonfactor for her coaches.

"We talked with Liz and her parents early on and they helped educate the coaches she deals with," girls basketball coach Joe Birkhauser said. "She communicates so well with the coaches and has such a good handle on things that we almost don't have to worry about it."

Through years of shots, doctor visits and finger pokes, Sigler hasn't let it hold her back and she won't as she starts the next chapter of her life.

"I haven't let diabetes get in the way of anything I want to do and I won't in the future," Liz Sigler said. "You can have diabetes and live a normal life and I am."