Posted 04/04/07

Lagasse's level
Athelete balances school and sports with diabetes

Colin Vallance | photo editor
cvallance@smcvt.edu

When Meg Lagasse wakes up at 7:30 every morning the first thing that she does is prick her finger. Lagasse has to gauge her blood glucose level to make sure it is within the range. If she eats breakfast she must then inject herself with a glucose shot to keep her blood sugar level.

Meg Lagasse walking to practice on Doc Jacobs field. (photo courtesy of Anne Lagasse)

Then she’s out the door, grabbing her pre-packed field hockey or lacrosse bag sitting next to the front door, waiting to be lugged across campus to lie outside her various biology classes so that she can go straight to practice afterwards. This is a day in the life of a double-sport athelete with type I diabetes.

“Playing two sports requires a lot of planning in my day to day life and in my schedule,” says Lagasse. “I have to get all my equipment together the night before and always need to remember to bring my blood sugar supplies.”

Living with diabetes

The constant monitoring of glucose levels is a continuous part of the women’s field hockey and lacrosse captain's life. At each meal and before and after games she must test her levels. Iif she decides to eat something, she must take an insulin shot as well. She carries Gatorade and sweets with her at all times for an extra boost.

“I went from a normal kid with nothing to worry about to having a forced lifestyle,” says Lagasse. “It changed my regular routine but challenged me to over-come and balance school, sports, and my health.”

Upon applying to schools, Lagasse says, she had offers from the Univeristy of New Hampshire and Northeastern University for playing field hockey. St. Michael’s college was the only small school she applied to, but she says it appealed to her because she was able to play two sports.

Lagasse winds up for a pass in a game against Assumption College. (photo courtesy of Anne Lagasse)

During her St. Michael’s career Lagasse has excelled in both sports. She has been the captain of the field hockey team for the past two years and is now the captain of the lacrosse team.

“Both teams are different,” says Lagasse. “I love them both in their own way, it is fun to transition from one sport in the fall and be part of another great team in the spring.”

It is this inter-team dynamic that lets her know that she made the right decision Lagasse says.

“Looking back I am happy that I ended up in a small school because I realize that there is more to life than playing sports. Going out with friends and doing different things like skiing has made me a better-rounded person.”

A little help from her friends

With a hectic schedule and the pressures of college life, Lagasse cites her friends and teammates as her secret to success.

“On days when I have to go straight from lab to practice it is nice to know I can rely on those close to me,” Lagasse says. “If I forget my insulin or need someone to hangout on a weekend night before a game I can always depend on my friends."

Senior Jess Cavanaugh and Lagasse grew up together in Newburyport, Mass. Lagasse says that her and Cavanaugh took on her diabetes together.

"At first we didn’t know what was wrong, we thought that it might have been a kidney infection,” says Cavanaugh. “I told her that I’d give her my kidney if she needed it.”

Lagasse and friend, Jess Shaw take in a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. (picture courtesy of Meg Lagasse)

When Lagasee was diagnosed with diabetes in eighth grade, Cavanaugh went with her to the doctors office for support.

“Since I was her best friend I had to learn how to give her an insulin shot in case she had a seizure or passed out.”

Cavanaugh understands the process, a seemingly daunting task for a friend but is assertive about her ability to do the job.

“I’ve been fairly confident because I’ve been around her so much,” says Cavanaugh. “Although I never think of her as someone with a disease I know how important it is for her to keep her blood sugar up.”

Cavanaugh played lacrosse with Lagasse for the first three years at St. Michael’s and during that time came up with playful terms for her disease.

“We joke about it a lot, instead of calling it diabetes we call it ‘bedes,’” says Cavanaugh. “She carries a bag around in her sports bag with her medical supplies, we dubbed her carrying case the ‘bag-o-bedes.’"

Although Lagasse and her friends can joke about the disease, it can affect her choices when she goes out on the weekends.

"I can't drink mixed drinks. So when my friends go downtown to Auggies for hurricanes on Thursdays I can't join in because they are jacked with sugar," she says. "Although it's kind of a downer I still have fun.

Dealing with the disease

Lagasse was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 15 and it was a complete shock to both her and her family.

“It was very difficult when we first realized she had lost 11 pounds in two weeks,” says Lagasse’s mother, Anne. “And that was no small feat because she was a very little girl.”

As a child Meg was an avid athlete, says Anne. The diagnosis worried her that it would drastically affect her daughter’s lifestyle.

“We told the doctor that she played sports and he told us that we had to let her get back on the field,” says Anne. “You’ve got to prove to her its not going to change anything.”

This idea was worrisome but they made a conscious decision to take the doctor's advice, she says.

“We found out on a Friday and the following Monday, two days after she got out of the hospital she was in the goalie net. Loving every minute of it,” says Anne.