Athletes, for the most part, are in great shape. Makes sense. You play sports all the time, work out, hopefully pay attention to what you eat. Despite all that, issues arise. Sometimes serious ones, even while you are in the prime of your athletic career.

Austin Freeman, a top shooting guard for my beloved Hoyas, was recently found to have diabetes, a disease that will not prevent him from playing basketball – in his first game back, actually, Austin went for 24 points in a win – but will require a lifetime change in eating and health monitoring. He is certainly not the only athlete and certainly not amongst a small group in the general population. About 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.

Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post has an article that discusses Austin’s situation, those of other athletes, and his own battle with the disease. You can find the article here.

To see a long list of athletes who have diabetes, please visit DLife here. dLife is a multimedia platform that has extensive information about the disease.

Finally, please watch a video from Hall of Fame teammates whose partnership has continued in their efforts to educate people about diabetes and the need for early monitoring and healthy living.

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