Diabetic Soccer Player Making Her Mark
Some records are special, not because of the nature of the feat but because of the people involved.
When Shelly O’Brien broke Azusa Pacific records Saturday for goals and points in women’s soccer, they were special achievements.
Her three goals at Biola, all before halftime, gave her career marks of 36 goals and 96 points--goals count for two points, assists for one. A senior academically and a junior in terms of eligibility, O’Brien set the marks in about two years.
Those records might be eclipsed some day, but they will always be sweet to her.
Although O’Brien is a natural when it comes to soccer, the game has never been easy for her. She has been playing since she can remember and diabetic since she was 9.
She lives and plays with a device called an insulin pump. The pager-size device has a small tube that attaches at her stomach and is set to put appropriate amounts of insulin into her body over the course of the day.
When playing, the device goes under her arm, but inside a sock to keep it dry, and to pad it in case it gets hit.
“It can be a little uncomfortable, especially if it gets hit,” she said. “There have been times when the pump has fallen out and even the tube has come out. But you just stop and pick it up or come off the field to fix it. You can’t help but worry, but it’s OK. If the tube comes out, you have to worry about infection.”
She has only lately been wearing the pump, which she heard of about five years ago. It has been a great help because when she injected insulin four times a day, her blood-sugar level was difficult to control. That has improved with the pump.
“It’s better because it kind of acts more like your pancreas,” O’Brien said. “You can adjust the setting if you know you will be eating. But it can also be a little embarrassing--like when I have a date, I say to myself ‘Now where am I going to hide this?’ You can’t just put it in your purse.”
She still has scars from all the insulin shots. And there are calluses on her fingers from pricks to test her blood-sugar level. She pricks her fingers about five times a day.
“What was bad was that I hated needles--I still do. You get used to injecting yourself for the most part, and I won’t let someone else give me a shot,” she said.
Diabetics have too much sugar in their blood and the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to control it. Fortunately, most diabetes can be controlled. But it is chronic and can have complications.
O’Brien was hospitalized in 1991 because of a kidney infection, then a month ago was in the hospital again because her thyroid was not functioning properly. She says neither is an uncommon side effect.
Even with the pump, O’Brien has to test her blood-sugar level before each game. If it is too high or too low, she can’t play.
“In high school, I never used to check it,” she said. “I used to go into convulsions in the middle of the night. A couple of times in the cafeteria I have had attacks. I get dazed and confused and might mention that I need food. But people (at Azusa Pacific) know what it is and they know who to call and what to do.”
Not that she needs special attention. It’s obvious by the way O’Brien interacts with her friends and teammates that she does not get special treatment for anything except her soccer skills and her personality.
This season, O’Brien is leading Azusa Pacific to its best start. The Cougars are ranked 10th--their highest ever--and are 6-0-1. O’Brien has 10 goals and 21 points.
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Chapman’s football team has been all that was advertised.
The Panthers, resuming the sport, won their first game in 62 years two weeks ago at Whittier, 30-13, then beat Claremont-Mudd in their home opener last Saturday, 34-14. The excitement over the program is noticeable in attendance.
At the Whittier game, Chapman fans made up at least half of the announced attendance of 4,200. Then, for the home opener, Chapman packed 4,194 into its stadium, which is supposed to seat about 2,500 comfortably. Chapman’s enrollment is only 1,800.
Noticeable about the Panthers, besides the winning, are their colors. Chapman’s official colors are cardinal and gray, but the football team wears black helmets and jerseys with gray pants. There are no logos or stripes.
The no-frills approach is directly attributable to the $200,000 budget to run the program. Even something as little as stripes on the pants costs $2.20 each, so they are going without.
Of course, that’s how traditions are born.
College Division Notes
Southland women’s volleyball is enjoying a rebirth. Although Southern California is unquestionably the strongest spot in Division I volleyball, many Division II players choose to go out of state, where programs have more money and the players more opportunities to be team leaders. That appears to be changing. Cal State Bakersfield (11-0) is the top-ranked team in the nation and Cal State Los Angeles (14-1) is No. 2. Bakersfield lost to Northern Michigan in the Division II championship last season but avenged the loss in a three-game victory at the Metro State tournament this month.
