Deion Sanders’ youngest child, Shelomi Sanders, is a student-athlete like her older brothers, Shilo and Shedeur. However, the journey to make it to D1 was more difficult for her than for them, or for that matter, than for most student-athlete hopefuls.
That’s because Shelomi was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 13. Type 1 diabetics don’t produce insulin, and they need to get daily shots to control their glucose levels. In turn, they’re prone to hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia (High and low blood sugar). As anyone can understand, this can impair the ability of someone to perform in athletics.
Shelomi not only has managed to get into athletics, but she’s now using her platform to spread awareness about the condition. In an Instagram story this Thursday, she shared details about her latest NIL partnership with Screen for Type 1, an organization devoted to making early Type 1 diabetes diagnosis easier.
“When I was diagnosed with T1D, I was so unprepared. There were so many things I wish I had known about the disease. Screening for T1D is available. Make a plan and talk to your doctor about T1D screening,” Shelomi Sanders wrote on her story.
Shelomi Sanders currently plays for the Alabama A&M Bulldogs, after transferring from Colorado after the end of the 2023-24 season. Her time with the Bulldogs marks the first time she isn’t at a school where her father is also the college football coach. Before Colorado, she spent a season with Jackson State in 2022-23.
However, it’s at Alabama A&M that she has seen by far the most action. Last year, she participated in 26 games for the Bulldogs, while she had only played five times for the Buffaloes and twice for the Tigers.
Shelomi Sanders on being an athlete with Type 1 Diabetes
Earlier in the year, Shelomi Sanders opened up about her process with diabetes while talking with “Beyond Type 1”, an NGO focused on raising awareness about the disease. To start the interview, she spoke of the first signs she had about having the condition:
“I’m talking about drinking like two gallons of water a day,” she says. “I wasn’t really that hungry, but I also just looked drained. But I was working out with my dad a lot around that time, so we didn’t think anything of it. We just thought the weight loss was just because we’re just working out and stuff.”
Later on, she went on to explain that, surprisingly, her diabetes doesn’t bother her as much as people would think on the court:
“When I work out, my blood sugar tends to go high,” she explains. “I heard most people’s blood sugar goes low, so that’s different. But where I’m at, all the trainers make sure I have everything I need. I have my pump and everything on the side.”
With high sugar during her workouts, Shelomi Sanders is likely to have lots of energy to burn off on the court. However, she takes nothing for granted and she knows that it’s all down to keeping herself healthy and learning to listen to her body. That way, she can continue to perform.
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