Deion Sanders’ Daughter Shelomi Recalls Being ‘Insecure’ About Her Type 1 Diabetes: ‘It’s Not a Burden’ (Exclusive)

It took years for Shelomi Sanders to realize that diabetes was “not a burden.”

The youngest daughter of Hall of Fame football star and former Major League Baseball player Deion Sanders recently spoke with PEOPLE in honor of November, National Diabetes Awareness Month. She spoke about managing her basketball career with diabetes and using her platform to help others.

Shelomi, a student at Alabama A&M University, was 13 when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which means her body makes little or no insulin, requiring medication.

“I was losing a lot of weight and I knew something was just not right,” she recalls.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the signs of type 1 diabetes in children develop quickly. Symptoms include weight loss, extreme hunger, increased thirst and frequent urination, fatigue and behavioral changes.

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Shelomi Sanders.

Shelomi Sanders/Instagram

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After receiving her diagnosis, Shelomi, now 20, admits she was immediately overwhelmed and somewhat embarrassed as she adjusted to her new normal.

“Being so young and being diagnosed, it was quite difficult just because I didn’t expect to take on so much responsibility at such a young age. I was just very insecure,” she explains. “I’d hide my devices, I’d go to the bathroom to get shots, all of that.”

“But that has definitely changed over the years,” she adds. “I was really in denial and very insecure about it for so long. So one day I made a video explaining my devices and what I went through and since then I’ve gotten so much love. I kind of wish I had been more open-minded when I was first diagnosed.”

Shelomi — a guard on the A&M women’s basketball team — says her really strong support system has played a significant role in managing her health. She uses Dexcom, a wearable glucose monitoring system connected to an app, and shares her levels not only with her parents but with her coaching staff to make sure she can do what she loves and compete at the collegiate level.

“I also share my levels with my coach. I just take one look at her or she takes one look at me and it’s like, okay yeah, my blood is either high or low,” he says. “They always make sure I have everything I need. The coaches, managers and all, made sure I had water and Gatorade in case I got bloodied during practice. It just makes everything so much easier.”

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Shelomi Sanders.

Shelomi Sanders/Instagram

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Shelomi says her teammates often interfere and ask questions about her diabetes, which she says is “a little funny, but it’s really good to know they care.” She admits she loves having those teaching moments because growing up she was always on the receiving end of “smooth comments” from people who believed many of the misconceptions about what diabetes was and what she was capable of.

Whenever she gets frustrated with managing her diabetes during training or on a daily basis, Shelomi says she thinks of everything in her corner.

“I just remember that there are other people like me who are going through this right now. They don’t give up, so I won’t either. I have some peers and younger kids who look at me as a type 1 diabetic so I have to keep going,” she says. “I have a motto that I always say: ‘The sun will rise.’ So at the end of the day, the sun will rise and we have to keep pushing.”

Shelomi Sanders.

Shelomi Sanders/Instagram

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The student has built that community of people who look up to her through Dexcom U and its NIL Ambassador program, where she mentors other young athletes with diabetes.

“Before, I was so closed. So just being able to connect with people on that level and share stories and laughs… everything about it, it’s just amazing,” she says.

“I know we teach them things, but the mentors really taught me things at the same time,” he boasts. “Just how they behave. Like, ‘Yeah, I’m diabetic so what? This doesn’t stop me. This does not define me.’ That was really big for me.”

Shelomi tells PEOPLE that while it took many years, she learned that living with type 1 diabetes “is not a burden” and wants others to have the same mindset.

“This is you. This is part of you. Accept it,” she says. “I never thought I’d be in a place where I could work with Dexcom to raise awareness. I would never have dreamed of this. So that’s a real blessing.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education