CEDAR PARK, Texas — Counting carbs has been an essential part of Riley Tufte’s life for almost as long as he can remember.
“I look at the nutrition facts. Carbs is what I look at, so that’s 27 grams of carbs. I usually have a cup of oatmeal, so I usually guestimate on that,” said Tufte.
The Texas Stars forward was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 11 years old. Injecting his body with insulin has become a part of his daily routine.
“It’s a wireless pump and it’s connected to my chest here, so basically what happens [is] I fill it up with insulin and then I press something and it just shoots in. There’s something in there right now and it lasts up to three days. Every time I eat, I take insulin,” said Tufte.
Balancing his diabetes with his time on the ice took a little adjustment.
“Every time I exercise, my blood sugar likes to go down, so I usually take less insulin. When I go on the ice, it kind of starts a little higher and then it dips down a little bit to where my numbers will be good, so I usually like to...go on the ice probably at 230, which is a little high for most people, but I usually dip down to the 140s,” Tufte said.
Texas Stars head athletic trainer Mike DeGaetano said Tufte is his only athlete in five years that has diabetes, but aside from Tufte’s monitors and sensors, it is nearly impossible to tell he has it.
“He doesn’t let it hold him back in life or on the ice. I keep his monitor on the bench at all times. I’m checking throughout the period to make sure if he’s high or low, see if we need to adjust anything during the game. And then he has it at intermission, so if there’s something where he has to come in for a snack or something else, we always have everything ready for him," said DeGaetano.
Tufte’s diagnosis did not stop him from his hockey dreams in the least.
“I always had dreams of playing in a national hockey league, playing professional hockey and it’s been a reality ever since. It’s something that not a lot of people say that they have diabetes and they’re playing a professional sport, but I'm one of them and I don’t think anybody out there has any setbacks on what they want to do in life," said Tufte.
In fact, advancing technology has made it so much easier for him to balance his sport and diabetes.
“This is a lifesaver for me because I don’t have to draw insulin. I just type in a button and it’s already shooting in me. It’s come a long way, the technology with diabetes. It’s been outstanding. I don’t even have to check my blood sugar anymore," said Tufte.
Tufte wants to spread awareness to other kids that they too can achieve their dreams even if they have diabetes.
“Maybe arrange a hockey camp in the summer, something I want to do. I was actually going to do it this summer, kind of have to set up the logistics of it. It’s something that I’m going to do in the next few years," said Tufte.
A hometown hockey star who didn’t let a medical issue keep him from the ice, and his next goal is giving kids with the same issue an assist.