Emerson’s Soccerista Story: Playing with Diabetes

Check out the story below from one of our amazing Socceristas, Emerson, about her journey of dealing with diabetes as a girls soccer player:

Wake up. Check my blood sugar. Count carbs. Deliver insulin. Cross my fingers that I don’t go too high or too low. Anxiously watch my Continuous Glucose Monitor for updates. Check again before lunch. Count carbs. Deliver insulin. Pray that I calculated everything right. Quick snack before soccer practice. Got to make sure I don’t go too low. Check blood sugar in the car ride to practice with my dad. Need to make sure I’m high enough for the upcoming practice but not so high that I feel sluggish. Make sure I have low snacks in my soccer bag. Check again before dinner. Count carbs. Deliver insulin. One last check before bed. Have to make sure I don’t go to low overnight. Repeat.

I can honestly say that being diabetic has changed my life. My parents aren’t diabetic. My siblings aren’t diabetic. I didn’t even know what diabetes was before my diagnosis. Luckily for me, my parents knew the signs and my hospital stay was pretty brief. 

So, what does all of this diabetes-biz have to do with soccer, you ask? In some ways, I actually think my diagnosis helped me step-up my game. I started playing soccer at age four and competitive soccer at eight or nine years old. I have always considered myself a pretty decent player, but always aspired to be even better on the pitch. 

Shortly after my diabetes diagnosis on March 30th of 2017, I realized that there are some parallels between my disease and being an elite athlete. We have all heard it or used it…“No days off.” It’s a cool slogan used by many, but with diabetes, there really are no days off. Taking a day off from diabetes can result in dire consequences. One of my favorite players, Carli Lloyd, figured out how daily hard work could pay huge dividends on the soccer field. A self-described average player at Rutgers University, she went on to become the FIFA Player of the Year by taking her training to the next level. At 38 years old she remains at the top of her game by outworking her opponents.

I started my soccer Instagram account, emerson.soccer, as a way to hold myself accountable for daily training. I am now on Day 568. That’s 568 days of consecutive training. Sometimes I juggle. Sometimes I work on my technical. Sometimes I simply shoot. Other days, I work on my athleticism. The point is, there are “No days off.” It’s strange to think that diabetes actually made me a better player. Take a look at one of my early videos to see where I started. Trust me, it wasn’t USWNT quality. 

I’ve heard Baylor University great and WNBA Indiana Fever star and fellow diabetic, Lauren Cox say, “I control it—it doesn’t control me,” and that’s exactly how I feel. I’m not going to let, a disease write my story on the field. I am so much more than that. I am Emerson Batson, a 13-year old girl who loves the beautiful game of soccer, and has big dreams!

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