Diabetes is not slowing down Sprague's Elise Abbott

During the spring of her freshman year, Elise Abbott knew something was wrong.

As an athlete, Abbott was accustomed to improving as a runner, getting faster and stronger as the season progressed, whether it was in cross country or track and field.

But during the 2016 track season for Sprague, Abbott wasn’t progressing. She was sick much of the time and constantly tired.

“It wasn’t getting better, and I was super exhausted,” Abbott said.

Abbott went to get her blood checked, and her blood-sugar level was so high, they sent her to the hospital.

The diagnosis was Type 1 Diabetes.

“It was a shock, because I took her in thinking she was anemic, or it was Vitamin D because we had just moved to Oregon. I just thought she was really tired,” said Abbott’s mother, Christina. “Then the doctor called and said she should be in a hospital right now.”

With Type 1 Diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin, which causes high blood-sugar levels.

The Abbott family does not have a history of Type 1 Diabetes, so there was a high learning curve for understanding the condition and how to deal with it.

It was stressful early in the process, which included 2 a.m. blood checks to make sure her levels were good.

“It’s been a struggle,” Christina Abbott said. “As a mom, I probably worry more than she does.”

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Despite the early stresses in dealing with her condition, Elise Abbott has continued to improve and grow as a runner.

During her freshman cross country season, before the diagnosis, she finished 11th at the Greater Valley Conference meet, and 34th at the Class 6A state meet.

As a sophomore last season, after the diagnosis, she finished sixth at the conference meet and 23rd at state.

The key for Elise as a runner with Type 1 Diabetes is to continue to monitor her blood-sugar levels before and after races.

“Before I run, I have to check and make sure my blood-sugar level is high enough that I won’t drop dangerously low while I’m running,” Elise said. “If it is low, then I’ll eat a snack or something before.”

Although constantly doing blood checks before races can be inconvenient, Elise said being a competitive runner has helped her regulate her blood-sugar levels, and she has adapted to the changes in her daily life.

“It keeps your life in a strict routine. You can only eat at certain increments because of the dosing, so that can be hard,” she said. “It’s definitely a lifestyle change, for sure.”

Elise has had a lot of support, not only from family, but from her teammates at Sprague.

Her coach, Tom Jimenez, also has diabetes and has been able to help her through the process.

“Me being diabetic, I was like, ‘OK, we can fix this because I understand this,’” Jimenez said.

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Elise hopes to continue to improve this season, with the GVC meet set for Oct. 25, and the state meet set for Nov. 4.

Diabetic runners often have inconsistent results, but Jimenez said he has been impressed with how consistently strong Elise has been in her times.

Two of her teammates, junior Ginger Murnieks and senior Kaylee Mitchell, were the top-two finishers last season in the GVC district meet, and Elise is improving to make the Olympians even stronger as a team.

“She’s chasing Kaylee and Ginger,” Jimenez said. “And she’s closing the gap. It’s just been a pleasure working with her.”

Elise, who also plays basketball, said she never worried about not being able to participate in sports after learning her diagnosis.

Doctors were quick to tell her she could continue to compete, and even gave her a list of every professional athlete with diabetes.

“They were pretty insistent that I could do anything, except be in the military and be a commercial jet pilot,” she said. “You can’t do those.”