Just Their Type: The Diabetes Connection at Maryland

There are numbers that are more important to Kayla Gilmore and Kennedy Major than goals, assists, draw controls or caused turnovers.

And no, it’s not 13-0, Maryland’s early record this year and the Terps’ best start since 2019 preceding their return to championship weekend.

The numbers the two Maryland stars must monitor every day, even in practice and games, are their blood sugar levels. Each was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in high school. “Everyone on our team is fully aware,” Gilmore said.

So too are others thanks to the team’s efforts. Maryland has held a diabetes awareness game almost every season since 2015. The profile of the event has risen the last two years with two diabetics on the team. This year, the Terps defeated James Madison 13-6 on March 7 and fundraised for Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), which supports research and development of new therapies and treatments.

“Getting that money and having support from other colleges, family and friends, it’s super special just being able to hopefully one day find a cure,” said Gilmore, who had seven draw controls in the win.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the pancreas produces little to no insulin. The body needs insulin to make energy from the glucose consumed. Insulin treatment is required daily by Type 1 diabetics to live. Type 2 diabetes, a metabolic condition in which the body resists insulin, is more common. More than 40 million Americans are living with diabetes, with 2 million of those Type 1. Maryland’s awareness games have raised nearly $100,000, according to Maryland coach Cathy Reese.

“I had it for about four years before I got here,” Major said. “I hadn’t had many people who were willing to put themselves out there to help raise money and to use their platforms. So Cathy doing that, it meant the world. I wouldn’t have ever considered doing it without her.”

Reese bears deep personal connections to the disease. During her playing days at Maryland in the mid-1990s, her college roommate, Beanie Lund, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

“It was a whole other world from where we are today,” Reese said. “Technology is completely different and so advanced.”

Reese lived through many of those advances when it hit closer to home. Her oldest son, Riley, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7. Fourteen years later, Riley Reese is now a senior defenseman on the Maryland men’s lacrosse team.

“I had to adapt,” he said. “I had to grow up faster than most kids usually do grow up because if I didn’t — if I wasn’t responsible enough — bad things could happen and it could go very, very quickly downhill at that point. I surrounded myself with the right people who made sure that I didn’t let it affect me mentally and physically as much as it possibly could.”

Now Reese does outreach for others. He has been a resource for recently diagnosed teammate Chris Lyons, a transfer from Yale. They compare numbers and check in with each other if they see any signs of struggle.

Major was diagnosed nearly 10 years ago when she was a freshman in high school at Gerstell Academy in Maryland. But Gilmore only discovered she had diabetes three years ago as a senior at William Floyd High School on Long Island.

“It was exciting to have another friend to talk about insulin and our blood sugar, and just see her regimen compared to my regimen,” Major said. “For her, being diagnosed so late and then having to come to college right after was probably scary. It was nice to offer words of encouragement.”

They are evidence that diabetes does not look any one way. Gilmore, a sophomore, is a white 5’10” midfielder out of New York. Major, a graduate student, is a Black 5’2” defender who grew up in Maryland. Black Americans are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and have higher rates of complications.

“It has given me the chance to advocate for other people, for other little girls,” Major said.

Anyone can be diagnosed with diabetes, and they are proof that anyone can keep playing sports at a high level. Kennedy has been a defensive starter since freshman year and was a preseason All-American. Gilmore was last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year and trained with U.S. Women’s National Team.

“Everyone will work it out and they can do anything they put their minds to,” Major said. “It is just taking a little extra time because you have to figure out your numbers. But it is also doable. You should continue to face things head on.”

The first months after diagnosis are the hardest as patients work with doctors to determine the proper ratios and types of carbohydrates to eat and when, and what kind and quantity of insulin to administer. Plus, individuals get different symptoms when their numbers are outside the healthiest range. Gilmore sweats more when her blood sugar is low and has trouble keeping focus if her blood sugar is high. Major feels disoriented and shaky when her blood sugar goes low.

“It’s learning how to manage it,” Gilmore said. “Everybody’s body is going to act and react differently to playing sports.”

Adrenaline raises blood sugar, so before games Gilmore injects herself with insulin. She checks her numbers by pricking her finger during games. She prefers the most accurate finger pricking and manual injections. Major and Reese wear a continuous glucose monitor connected by Bluetooth to an automatic pump that directly delivers insulin when needed. The wearable devices can be moved to a few different spots on their body to protect them from contact, and can even be put into activity mode when they’re practicing or playing.

The devices report their numbers to a phone. Cathy Reese still tracks her son’s numbers. Maryland’s training staff also monitors the athletes and helps with their management.

Still, the players know their bodies best.

“You look at these people and you’re like, wow, you’ve been able to manage this autoimmune disease in addition to being able to play at the highest level of your sport,” Cathy Reese said. “It’s remarkable and lets people understand that they can still follow their dreams and goals and achieve whatever they set their mind to.”   

Game On

Several notable lacrosse players have excelled while playing with Type 1 diabetes. Among them:

Brett Dobson

The three-time PLL All-Star, two-time PLL champion and Team Canada goalie was diagnosed in third grade.

Maura Cissel

The single-season record holder for draw controls at Arizona State, Cissel transferred to Drexel and was featured in USA Lacrosse Magazine as a senior in 2023.

Callum Robinson

The Big Koala, who was tragically killed on a surfing trip to Mexico in 2024, was a diabetes advocate who played professionally and starred for Team Australia.

Chris Eck

A faceoff specialist for the 2014 U.S. Men’s National Team, Eck was in college at Colgate and rehabilitating from ACL surgery when he was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease. He was a four-time MLL All-Star.

Caroline Panzirer

An All-Patriot League attacker at Colgate, Panzirer and her sister, Morgan, both have Type 1 diabetes.

Chris Lyons

An All-American attackman and the active NCAA Division I leader in career goals this year, Lyons was only recently diagnosed. The Yale transfer finished his career at Maryland.