One of Us

There is a meme out there in the Internet world that says "OMG! ONE OF US!" And I believe it's a minion (I tried importing the photo into the blog here, but apparently I'm technically challenged).

I didn't really know anyone with diabetes before Trey's diaganoses.  Well, a few, but I was ignorant to it all quite honestly.  Now not only do I know better, but I know more people who fight the disease daily as well.  Let me tell you -- to have someone you can relate to is like we live on Mars in our own little world.

At the Wings hockey game Saturday night, a friend of Jordan and I's stopped by to visit and said "Look at what this guy has, Trey.  He's got the same set-up as you do!" And this kid, probably in his early teen years (or not?! I'm so good good with ages) whipped out his Medtronic Insulin Pump from his camouflaged case and showed Trey.  Immediate smile upon Trey's face as he quickly lifted his hoodie to reveal his matching pump.  They shook hands and smiled at each other.  Yep, you guessed it, momma had tears.  These guys that are willing to talk about it and show Trey about it are hero's. They are proof that you can live with the disease and that, more importantly, you're not alone. Someone out there knows exactly the battles you have faced.

After the game we visited with Trey Bagwell's dad in the lobby of the Odde Ice Center.  He asked how things were going, what Trey's numbers have been, if we've had any issues, etc.  Trey Bagwell came out of the locker room and immediately smiled and gave Trey knuckles.  He asked if he scored any goals in his morning game and when Trey shook his head, Bagwell said, "I didn't either.  It's ok." Then he asked "Have his numbers been ok?" Truly ... We're in our own world.

Now, I'm going to break away from the diabetes talk for a minute because I have some things I want to confess.

Trey loves hockey.  Since he was 2 (yada yada ... Broken record).  Watching him skate brings me great joy. Taking him to open skate and hockey practice where he strives to improve, brings me great joy.  On Saturday, Trey's team lost ... Bad.  Let it be known that the score is not kept in Termite hockey, but you can bet your ass the kids know who wins. Trey's team not only lost, but they didn't score a single goal.  He had some teammates that really didn't care what was happening as one never left center ice, one cried the whole time because he was cold, one coudln't skate but yet walked carefully and one was only concerned with laying on the ice.  Trey was beyond frustrated, but still skated hard and tried his best.  As the kids were leaving the ice after the game, he stormed off, not stopping to talk to any of us, ripped off his gloves and helmet and threw them down on his bag. While it was a little funny he was so upset, I did tell him he needed to calm down before I said, "What in the world is the problem?" And he replied, "WE LOST!" Ooohhhh boy.  He continued on, blaming the loss on the fact that they didn't Zamboni the ice (which does make a difference) and that the white team was checking him.  HAHA!!! He was so mad ... Soooo mad.  The competitiveness he has at just 5 is something else!

Which leads me to a conversation his father and I had last night.

We want Trey to excel in the sport of hockey.  He can be great if he wants to be and if we give him the best chance to be.  His skating has improved drastically since even the beginning of the season.  This comes with ice time ... Just get out there any chance you can and skate.  He has pretty good puck control for his age.  Again, it comes with practice.  I recall when he was three and he got his first hockey stick from a Wings player, we could come home after the games  and Trey would sit and shoot pucks in the living room for an hour.  He would 'dribble' the puck back and forth ... At three.  He practices his shot in the summer on the driveway.  He watches YouTube videos of how to tape the stick, how to skate, how to shoot the puck.  He will sometimes use a net for practice but will also pick something much smaller in size to really narrow down the chance at getting a goal.  He's learned how to lift the puck up when he shoots it, and often practices 'water bottle shots'.

Aberdeen does not have year round ice.  Huge downfall.  The rink gets taken down in April and put back up in September.  The boys varsity has not won a championship in .... 20+ years! The girls are rolling and have a very good team with some very skilled players who area slo on traveling teams for Team USA and therefore those kids are on ice every week of the year.

That's what we want for Trey.  If he chooses to continue his love for hockey, and if he keeps the competitive streak inside of him alive ... We will do what we have to do for this kid to go where he wants to go for his hockey career. I believe in him! His dream is my dream ~ I'll help him make it happen.