By Shawn Moran, thesundevils.com feature writer
Lia Edwards was in a doctor's office when she was blindsided with news she never expected: She had Type 1 diabetes.
In her early 20s and healthy, with no family history of the disease, she was suddenly forced to alter her lifestyle.
"I didn't go to the doctor's unless there was a need," said Edwards, the wife of Arizona State head football coach Herm Edwards. "So, it was a real big shocker. I was hospitalized for five days until they could control and bring my sugars down."
In college sports, student-athletes and coaches perform the majority of community service through coaching clinics and other community events.
Lia Edwards is changing that at ASU.
In the six weeks she has been in Arizona, Edwards and her positive attitude have already been involved in the community. Saturday she gathered other coaches' spouses for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Gala Art Day in Scottsdale to raise money for Type 1 diabetes research.
"I have not had the opportunity to do a lot of this before," said Soni Likens, the wife of offensive coordinator Rob. "So, I think this is something that may be a little more prominent in the NFL where they get out and do more community service and I love that she's brought this to college football."
There is a reason Edwards went to work in the community so quickly with JDRF. As a young woman, Edwards did not see diabetes, or any other disease, affecting her.
Many feel the same yet an estimated 1.25 million Americans live with Type 1 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Thought at one point to be a juvenile disease, many adults are now diagnosed and the lifestyle change is often abrupt and foreign.
"I can still remember treating myself with a needle, having to give myself shots and it was a very, very big challenge," Edwards said.
Apart from having to inject herself with insulin shots, there were many other adjustments Edwards made that would make her way of life more challenging.
"Just the little things you take for granted," Edwards said. "Anything I eat will affect my blood sugar. People just really take it for granted. To just get up in the morning and have a glass of orange juice, I mean that's not something that I would do now with the diabetes because that could totally spike my blood sugar."
With the chance of a small soda or a piece of cake spiking her blood sugar, Edwards has realized her situation puts her in a "balancing act" of sorts. However, rather than let the disease dictate what she can and cannot eat, she opts to still enjoy her favorite meals,, observe her sugar intake, and calculate how much insulin she will need to inject to keep herself healthy.
"You're like a chemist almost," Edwards said.
Top athletes such as Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and PGA golfer Scott Verplank are also Type 1 diabetics, and with her husband's connections and their shared disease, Edwards was able to meet former NFL quarterback and fellow Type 1 diabetic Jay Cutler at a golf tournament a few years ago. His story is similar to Edwards' because they both were diagnosed in their twenties and had their health issues come out of nowhere.
Thirty-five Type 1 diabetics attended the JDRF Gala Art Day to witness first-hand Edwards' mission to show how people diagnosed with this disease can still live healthy and successful lives.
"Once you start talking about it, you learn more about people and the community that have it," Edwards said.
Edwards is not new to being a head coach's wife, as her husband had prior stops with the National Football League's New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, and she is certainly not new to giving back to the community. She has led panels, identified and invited guest speakers, and planned charity events, with one particular holiday event in Kansas City standing out among the rest.
"We did a Halloween party where the wives and the players would come and we would dress up and we would have stations in the bubble," Edwards said. "We invited all of the Type 1 diabetics in the area so that it could be something focused away from candy and just more like, 'Let's have fun on Halloween instead of focusing on how many Snickers bars you're going to eat.' "
Her philanthropy, however, has never been tied only to her husband's profession. Before moving to Arizona, Edwards lived in California and was involved with JDRF through her daughter's school.
"They would always walk for JDRF," Edwards said. "They would have a community project every month, so they already had a partnership with JDRF. When I got involved … for five of the six years I would kind of lead how we would introduce the community event to the school and the students."
With her husband back in a head coaching role Edwards has enjoyed taking her experiences from the professional level, translating them to the collegiate ranks, and getting the other coaches' wives involved in the community. It is obvious her friendliness and positivity have gained the respect of the other wives, with so many showing up to support her and her cause.
"We're a huge supporter of Lia and Lia has Type 1 diabetes and we know that it means a lot to her," said Jocelyn Pierce, the wife of recruiting director and linebackers coach Antonio. "What we're trying to do is support each other on any of the causes that we feel strongly about and help out as much as we can. This one was very dear to her and of course we stick together and we're supporting her. It's new to us but it is very interesting and anything that allows us to give back we're there."
For the Sun Devils and their community, it seems clear Lia is going to be more active in helping out causes that are important to the football staff and families. With one community event down and many more to come, the coaches' wives are excited about their new leader.
"I would absolutely love to continue to come together and give back," Likens said. "There's nothing better."
Lia Edwards was in a doctor's office when she was blindsided with news she never expected: She had Type 1 diabetes.
In her early 20s and healthy, with no family history of the disease, she was suddenly forced to alter her lifestyle.
"I didn't go to the doctor's unless there was a need," said Edwards, the wife of Arizona State head football coach Herm Edwards. "So, it was a real big shocker. I was hospitalized for five days until they could control and bring my sugars down."
In college sports, student-athletes and coaches perform the majority of community service through coaching clinics and other community events.
Lia Edwards is changing that at ASU.
In the six weeks she has been in Arizona, Edwards and her positive attitude have already been involved in the community. Saturday she gathered other coaches' spouses for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Gala Art Day in Scottsdale to raise money for Type 1 diabetes research.
"I have not had the opportunity to do a lot of this before," said Soni Likens, the wife of offensive coordinator Rob. "So, I think this is something that may be a little more prominent in the NFL where they get out and do more community service and I love that she's brought this to college football."
There is a reason Edwards went to work in the community so quickly with JDRF. As a young woman, Edwards did not see diabetes, or any other disease, affecting her.
Many feel the same yet an estimated 1.25 million Americans live with Type 1 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Thought at one point to be a juvenile disease, many adults are now diagnosed and the lifestyle change is often abrupt and foreign.
"I can still remember treating myself with a needle, having to give myself shots and it was a very, very big challenge," Edwards said.
Apart from having to inject herself with insulin shots, there were many other adjustments Edwards made that would make her way of life more challenging.
"Just the little things you take for granted," Edwards said. "Anything I eat will affect my blood sugar. People just really take it for granted. To just get up in the morning and have a glass of orange juice, I mean that's not something that I would do now with the diabetes because that could totally spike my blood sugar."
With the chance of a small soda or a piece of cake spiking her blood sugar, Edwards has realized her situation puts her in a "balancing act" of sorts. However, rather than let the disease dictate what she can and cannot eat, she opts to still enjoy her favorite meals,, observe her sugar intake, and calculate how much insulin she will need to inject to keep herself healthy.
"You're like a chemist almost," Edwards said.
Top athletes such as Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and PGA golfer Scott Verplank are also Type 1 diabetics, and with her husband's connections and their shared disease, Edwards was able to meet former NFL quarterback and fellow Type 1 diabetic Jay Cutler at a golf tournament a few years ago. His story is similar to Edwards' because they both were diagnosed in their twenties and had their health issues come out of nowhere.
Thirty-five Type 1 diabetics attended the JDRF Gala Art Day to witness first-hand Edwards' mission to show how people diagnosed with this disease can still live healthy and successful lives.
"Once you start talking about it, you learn more about people and the community that have it," Edwards said.
Edwards is not new to being a head coach's wife, as her husband had prior stops with the National Football League's New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, and she is certainly not new to giving back to the community. She has led panels, identified and invited guest speakers, and planned charity events, with one particular holiday event in Kansas City standing out among the rest.
"We did a Halloween party where the wives and the players would come and we would dress up and we would have stations in the bubble," Edwards said. "We invited all of the Type 1 diabetics in the area so that it could be something focused away from candy and just more like, 'Let's have fun on Halloween instead of focusing on how many Snickers bars you're going to eat.' "
Her philanthropy, however, has never been tied only to her husband's profession. Before moving to Arizona, Edwards lived in California and was involved with JDRF through her daughter's school.
"They would always walk for JDRF," Edwards said. "They would have a community project every month, so they already had a partnership with JDRF. When I got involved … for five of the six years I would kind of lead how we would introduce the community event to the school and the students."
With her husband back in a head coaching role Edwards has enjoyed taking her experiences from the professional level, translating them to the collegiate ranks, and getting the other coaches' wives involved in the community. It is obvious her friendliness and positivity have gained the respect of the other wives, with so many showing up to support her and her cause.
"We're a huge supporter of Lia and Lia has Type 1 diabetes and we know that it means a lot to her," said Jocelyn Pierce, the wife of recruiting director and linebackers coach Antonio. "What we're trying to do is support each other on any of the causes that we feel strongly about and help out as much as we can. This one was very dear to her and of course we stick together and we're supporting her. It's new to us but it is very interesting and anything that allows us to give back we're there."
For the Sun Devils and their community, it seems clear Lia is going to be more active in helping out causes that are important to the football staff and families. With one community event down and many more to come, the coaches' wives are excited about their new leader.
"I would absolutely love to continue to come together and give back," Likens said. "There's nothing better."