The Discipline That Gave Me Life

Ever since I could remember I wanted to play soccer. I saw the Mexican professional soccer league and I always wanted to know what it felt like to play and get paid at that level. I would go see my favorite team “Pumas” play and practice as well. It was amazing to think that someone would get paid to play soccer. That was what I wanted to do but I had a medical condition that needed to be taken care of first so that I could live and continue to dream.

I was diagnosed with type I diabetes when I was 10 years old and at the time the disease did not make sense to me at all. The first few years I was diagnosed with type I diabetes I was angry. I was upset at the world because I had to deal with this disease. I did not want to follow my doctor’s orders and I would eat all the candy and snacks that I wanted; why not, I was a kid. What I did not know is that I was slowly killing myself by doing that. I was eating what I wanted and felt good at the moment but what I did not know is that I was preventing myself from realizing my dreams.

I had blood glucose levels around 300mg/dL to 500 mg/dL because I ate whatever I wanted to eat. Most of what I ate at that time was not a diet suitable for a type I diabetic. At this point I was feeling the same way as I did right before I was diagnosed because the insulin that I was taking was not enough to lower the glucose levels in my blood. This made me feel tired with no motivation to do anything,  and began to  feel indifferent to my dream of playing soccer.

Once I realized I was not able to play soccer because I was not taking care of myself, I was determined to get back out on the soccer field. This meant that I had to take care of my diabetes by doing the following:

·         Take my insulin shots at the appropriate times.
·         Eat a reasonable diet of foods low in glucose.
·         Exercise regularly (Easiest part of my new regimen)
·         Get adequate rest

Once I started doing these 4 easy things in my life, I was able to better concentrate in school, able to train better during soccer practice and games: I was able to do more with my life. Once I had control of my diabetes, I was able to have the following accomplishments:

1.       Finished High School and played in the District 1-5A playoffs for soccer.
2.       Played for UTEP men’s soccer club while attending UTEP for a BS in Kinesiology and Sports Medicine (2000) and a MS in Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology (2005).
3.       Became a Licensed massage therapist in 2000.
4.       Started playing professional soccer at the age of 19 with the El Paso Patriots on the USISL A-League.
5.       Played for the Volcanes de Colima in Colima, Mexico (2000) and then promoted to Tecos de Guadalajara team in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico (2002).
6.       Became a Personal Trainer on 2005.
7.       Coach with the Premier Panthers Soccer Club.
8.       Director for one of the Recreation Centers in the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department.

These are only professional accomplishments that I am very proud of. The four changes I made in my life allowed me to accomplish my dreams and helped me realize personal achievements. Everything that I have done in my life personally and professionally, is due in part to being disciplined and determined to control my diabetes. Once in control of my disease, I was able to do what I wanted to do and the result could not have been any better.