Jordyn Koples isn’t letting much stand in her way as she lives her life.
The 16 year old from Rocky Mountain House continues to go to school, work at a job and figure skate. A sort she started at the tender age of three.
“My mom said I was watching figure skating on tv and Kurt Browning (Canadian figure skating icon) was on and I wanted to be like him,” she said.
All normal stuff for a young Canadian girl right? Absolutely but there is a twist.
She does all of this with the help of a little friend by her side. Actually it’s literally attached to her side.
Jordyn wears an insulin pump because at the age of ten she was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes.
“I didn’t know anything about it and I was sick a long time before I knew so I thought I just had the flu or something. I liked candy and stuff and so I thought my life was over.”
When she first started managing her condition she was injecting herself eight or nine times a day but that all changed for her several months later with the pump. It was a change she describes as being for the better.
“With the needles I had to get up and be eating by eight and then I had to have a snack around 10:30 and everything had to be timed. With the pump, it regulates (blood sugar) a lot better.”
With the needles she had to inject long lasting insulin to keep her levels steady but the pump injects small amounts each hour to maintain that balance.
Early on she did have to explain to classmates that her pump was not a cell phone or an Ipod and she was listening to music during class.
“Sometimes it vibrates or makes noises when my insulin is low. At ten units it will start doing a little song and it’s really loud. In the middle of school of course it goes off when everybody is silent.”
She does explain to those who ask that she can have sugar but it’s the carbohydrates she needs to be aware of when having a sugary treat. Halloween is still a tough time however as she does more handing of out candy instead of collecting but she battles through it like anything else when dealing with Juvenile Diabetes.
She received the pump at the end of figure skating season but there was some concern once it rolled around again as to how her body would react to having the pump while she was skating.
“Being active a lot and having a lot of energy during the one to two hours I was skating we were worried that my blood (sugar level) would go crazy,” she said.” We wouldn’t be able to control it.”
At the diabetes clinic she was cautioned about watching her adrenalin level as it could cause her blood sugar level to shoot through the roof. The first competition she went to the opposite happened as her blood sugar basically hit the floor. The doctors and dietitians are at a loss to explain why this happens, she said.
The first week with the pump was one of exploration to see how her blood would react to the injections of insulin but without any skating being done.
“We started getting back into my regular routine slowly,” she said but she was nervous stepping onto the ice for the first time with the pump. “I was kind of scared because I just kept it in the waistband of my pants so I was scared it was going to fallout or something or like I was going to fall on it.”
She has fallen on it a few times over the last little while and there was a need for a couple of replacement pumps due to cracks, she said.
She is aware of the pump whether she’s at school, work or on the ice as the insert has to be changed every three days but it hasn’t changed the way she skates.
“I try to not let it limit me. If it does fall out I’ll just suspend it or take it off for about half an hour and just give myself insulin for that but all in all I don’t think it limits me that much.”
There were times when some doubt did creep into her thoughts as to if she could do this but quitting was not an option.
It’s a source of pride in a way because she doesn’t let her medical condition prevent her from doing something she loves to do and it serves as a message to others in a similar situation.
“I think it’s a good thing for people to know that it can’t (stop you). You might struggle some days but it shouldn’t bring you down from anything.”
She has plans to attend the University of Saskatchewan where she hopes to continue with her skating while taking courses with the goal to get a degree in medicine, something she’s had an eye one for some time.
“I definitely was always interested in it but after I was diagnosed I really got into it,” she said. Now it might not centre on diabetes but she thinks some area of research would be a potential goal.
In addition to schooling, she plans to remain active with her on-ice routine as it’s important to her, physically and mentally.
“It keeps my blood sugar lower than when I’m just lying around and it makes me feel better after exercising.”
No matter what road she takes though her friend the pump will be along for the ride, at least for the near future. A future which is still bright.
