H
igh School football is a way of
life for many in Texas schools.
In Willow Park, Texas, it’s no different. At the home of the Trinity
Christian Eagles, these young men
breathe football and are carrying
a 4-3 record in their first season of
11-man football.
The same can be said for those in
middle school where they look up to
and aspire to be just as good as the
upper classmen when they are on
the varsity team. What many people
don’t know about are the battles
being fought off the field by these
young men.
Chase Gunter, 12th grade, and
Race Zwieg, seventh grade, are two
Trinity Christian Academy students
and football players who are currently battling Type 1 diabetes on a daily
basis.
Type 1 diabetes is commonly
diagnosed in children and young
adults. What occurs is that the body
cannot produce insulin. Insulin is
a hormone that helps the body get
W
O
N
glucose, which is sugars and starches
broken down from the blood into the
cells of the body for use as energy.
The daily routine these two young
men go through is a lot of work. In
order to stay healthy and alive they
must watch what they eat throughout
the day while also monitoring their
blood glucose levels.
For Race, the question he finds
himself asking sometimes is “why
me?” Before he was diagnosed with
Type 1, Race was perfectly healthy
and showed no signs of having the
disease.
“He was perfectly fine,” said
Mrs. Zwieg, Race’s mother. “It was
a couple days after we held a super
bowl party that he started showing
signs such as vomiting and using the
restroom.” Race was admitted to ICU
with a 30-percent chance of living.
“I don’t remember anything from that
night,” recalls Race.
The symptoms of Type 1 include
excessive thirst, rapid weight loss,
change in personality and frequent
urination.
None of these challenges slow
down these two warriors. In fact they
use these challenges to push themselves to new limits and to show that
they can be just as strong as anyone
else.
Race is no different than any other
seventh-grader. He loves football
more than any other sport, is a fan of
the Denver Broncos and Texas A&M
University and hopes to one day be
an Aggie.
Chase is in that position now,
looking at what schools to attend
after he graduates next semester,
with Texas State, Mary HardenBaylor, Abilene Christian and Harden
Simmons all in mind.
Whatever challenges may come,
Type 1 will not slow these young
men down.
They will strive to accomplish
their goals in life no matter what may
hold them back. Chase Gunter and
Race Zwieg are not just football players, but warriors.
!
N
E
OP
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