Sharing Their Story

On March 27, 2012, Maryland women’s lacrosse head coach Cathy Reese received a phone call that forever changed her and her family’s lives. 

Leading up to the day, her oldest of four children — Riley — was drinking copious amounts of water and constantly using the bathroom. But Reese remembers a specific two-hour bus ride to James Madison, where the Terps were set to play a game three days prior. Riley drank three water bottles on that ride and went to the bathroom several times.

The Terps defeated the Dukes 14-8 that day. The win was one of their 19 victories in a season that included winning the ACC championship and making an NCAA Final Four appearance. Still, Reese had her son's well-being on her mind, so she took Riley to the doctor shortly after. 

They did a urine test at the doctor's to check his blood sugar level. It came back very high, so the doctor then ordered a blood test. Reese took her son to get the test on the morning of March 27, as her squad was slated for an in-state matchup against Towson later that evening. 

After a dominating 13-3 win at home, Reese was driving home to pick up three of her boys at her sister’s house when her phone rang. It was the doctor on call at her pediatrician’s office. The doctor recommended that Riley be taken to the emergency room right away. Reese’s heart melted, and her eyes filled up with tears. 

“We knew that something was up by some of the different symptoms we were seeing with him,” Reese said. “After we went to the doctor and was given that diagnosis, our lives changed forever.”

Riley was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just seven years old. Reese and her family moved forward and adjusted to Riley’s new normal, which involved waking up in the middle of the night to check his blood sugar, being injected with insulin several times a day and learning to balance insulin with eating and counting carbs.   

Reese says people with Type 1 diabetes never get a day off. However, with the correct care, it’s manageable. Riley, now a junior on the Maryland men’s lacrosse team, has never felt sorry for himself or used his diagnosis as an excuse. 

To raise awareness and money, Reese organized a Type 1 diabetes awareness game when her women's lacrosse team hosted Rutgers on April 4, 2015. The Terps trounced the Scarlet Knights 17-5 and later won their 13th national championship. However, Reese’s efforts raised more than $12,000 for Type 1 research and inspired her to continue the program’s outreach game. 

“I'm very open to talking about this because I think the knowledge and the more understanding that everybody in our community has, the more we're able to support our friends, teammates and the people we come across fighting this,” Reese said.

As No. 5 Maryland welcomes No. 11 Michigan for its home conference opener on March 16, the Terps will again play in honor of Riley and the millions of adults and children who live with Type 1. They will also commemorate two teammates with Type 1 diabetes — Kennedy Major and Kayla Gilmore. 

Major, a redshirt junior defender, and Gilmore, a freshman midfielder, were two student-athletes diagnosed in high school. Together, they created a fundraiser through Breakthrough T1D, a research and advocacy organization that funds research to develop new therapies and treatments for the disease. The pair reached their goal of raising $5,000 in less than a week of launching the fundraiser. 

Along with organizing the fundraiser, the student-athletes shared their stories of being diagnosed and living with Type 1 diabetes. Major hopes to inspire other athletes living with diabetes and relay the message that they can be just as successful as athletes without it. 

“Having fundraisers like this raises awareness, but it gets the message out to all those little girls who have Type 1,” Major said. “You can play with it, it is doable, and you can play at the highest level. … I want little girls out there to know, or just anyone, that you can do whatever you want to do with the right support system and headspace.”

Gilmore shared a similar sentiment, expressing the importance of simply raising awareness of what Type 1 diabetes is and what those who suffer from it battle. 

“The more knowledge that we can share about what type one truly is, [the more] we're going to help other athletes like ourselves and the community as a whole,” Gilmore said. “It's such a special thing that me and Kennedy are both here on the biggest platform to be able to share our stories, share what we've gone through and hopefully reach out to other Type 1 diabetes individuals.”

Maryland was the perfect place for each individual to continue their respective academic and athletic careers, given Reese’s experience raising a son with Type 1 diabetes. Both student-athletes say having Reese as their coach has been comforting. Gilmore even referred to her as her mom at school regarding diabetes, ensuring she was okay and had everything she needed.

Major was diagnosed with diabetes in November 2017, during her freshman year of high school. When she started her college recruiting journey, Maryland was my first visit. Reese and Major connected on the topic of diabetes throughout their initial interactions, and the coach consistently voiced her support. 

“Those talks are what really drew me here,” Major said. “Having someone like that around all the time was just so comforting, especially for my parents.”

Gilmore was diagnosed in December 2023, during her senior year of high school and a year and a half after she committed to the Terps. Her initial diagnosis led to immediate uncertainty, but one thing it did lead to certainty was her decision to attend Maryland. 

Because she was 17 and still considered a minor, Gilmore was in an emergency room decorated with turtles. Once she received her diagnosis, her mom also searched for other athletes with Type 1 on the internet. That’s when they both discovered that Reese’s son — Riley — also had the disease. 

Gilmore’s ensuing conversations with Reese further reassured her that Maryland was the right place for her. They also led her to discover that Major was already a student-athlete on the team playing while battling Type 1. 

“It was so cool finding out that I wasn't going to be alone and knowing that I had such an incredible support system before I even walked on campus here,” Gilmore said.

What started as a result of Riley’s diabetes diagnosis has developed into an initiative supporting others close to the Maryland women’s lacrosse program in addition to the millions living with Type 1 diabetes. Reese says the program has raised over $50,000 through its Type 1 awareness games. 

“It was my story, and now it's become their story,” Reese said. “I am a part of it and can support them in their journey with all of this. … Every little bit that we can do as a University of Maryland team and community is important.”