Ram tough Bangor football player perseveres in daily battle against diabetes

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Buddy Nickerson is one of those kids that just brings a smile to your face. Buddy’s polite. He’s funny. Respectful. And honest.

“He’s just special,” his football coach Mark Hackett says earnestly.

Football? Oh, yeah. Buddy knows quite a bit about that.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound tailback is a big reason the Bangor Rams have started their season 7-0.

After switching from soccer to football during his sophomore year, and missing much of his junior season after breaking his wrist, Nickerson has rebounded in style. Going into Friday night’s game, he led the Pine Tree Conference with 936 rushing yards and had scored 14 touchdowns.

As Bangor junior Nick Achorn points out, his teammate seems to have things pretty well figured out.

“Buddy turned out perfect,” Achorn says.

Buddy Nickerson: Great guy. Football hero … diabetic.

That’s right.

Buddy, 17, is one of the 0.16 percent of Americans under the age of 20 who spend every day monitoring their blood sugar in a daily battle against diabetes. He has an insulin pump attached to his body when he’s not playing football.

And he doesn’t think it’s a big deal.

The initial diagnosis

Buddy still remembers the day doctors told him he had type I diabetes. He was 6. He remembers his mom trying to explain it to him.

“I didn’t have a clue what it all meant and was confused that whole day,” he said.

Immediately following his diagnosis, Buddy went to the Diabetes, Endocrine and Nutrition Center of Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. He spent a week there with his parents, Dan and Danita Smith, while doctors created a treatment plan for him and educators taught him about his condition.

“They were right on it. They knew how to deal with it as far as explaining it to children, even younger than Buddy,” explains his mother, Danita. “They used coloring books and other children’s materials.”

Buddy learned how to take his own blood sugar readings – a finger prick to measure blood sugar levels with a glucose meter.

His parents were also learning some new things at the center. They each had to give themselves a shot of saline. The idea: to show Buddy that it doesn’t hurt and to know what Buddy would feel. After all, they would be giving him insulin shots three times a day until he was old enough to do it on his own.

Danita has always been a strong presence in Buddy’s life. During his younger years, she went to school every day to give him his shot before lunch. Buddy laughs as he remembers back to third grade when his friend Nick Perry questioned him about why he wasn’t giving himself his own shots.

His mom remembers that, too.

“Probably Nick saw me there and was thinking ‘The only way you’re gonna get rid of your mom, Bud, is to start doin’ that yourself,'” Danita says with a chuckle.

Buddy did begin giving himself insulin shots that very next day. But that doesn’t mean his mom went away. Danita has always played an active role in his life.

And both of them like it that way.

A family affair

Danita went to all of Buddy’s practices from the time he started playing basketball in third grade. Diabetes was only part of the reason why.

“I was nervous that the coach wouldn’t pick up on it. And I didn’t want the coach responsible for that either,” explains Danita. “But I also enjoyed practice.”

Then Buddy started high school and more changes followed. Changes Danita had to accept.

When basketball practice started his freshman year with coach Mark Hackett (Buddy’s coach for both sports), Danita was shocked when she tried to open the door to enter the gym – it was locked.

Closed-door practices.

“I remember the first time I went in and tried to peek through the windows of the doors. Well, they have some kind of screening over them and you can’t see in,” she says laughing. “I just had to give in and let it be.”

She admits that it was probably good – for both of them.

Then came the switch.

In his sophomore year, Buddy decided that football was his fall sport of choice over soccer.

With a devilish grin, Buddy explains his physical tendencies.

“In soccer, I was horrible. I’d be hitting people all over the place. Football’s great,” he says enthusiastically. “I love it. It’s physical and I love physical kinds of sports.”

But Danita didn’t share Buddy’s enthusiasm.

Like many mothers, Danita worries about her son playing football, and not because he’s diabetic.

“To see him go down and see players on top of him and see him get hit, it’s awful,” says Danita, shaking her head.

His stepfather, Dan, on the other hand, would be out there playing, too, if he could. Dan didn’t have the opportunity to play football in his teenage years because his school didn’t have a team.

“I can imagine it must be a blast out there,” he says.

So Buddy wanted to try it. Dan was all for it. Where did that leave Danita? Well, “They got their way,” she says with a laugh.

Don’t get the wrong idea. Dan has concerns, too. “I didn’t realize until he played how those kids get banged up,” admits Dan.

But because he enjoys football so much, Dan finds it easy to understand why Buddy wants to go out and play this game.

Danita, however, admits she tried to talk Buddy out of playing football in the beginning.

“I did not want him playing football. Did not,” she says adamantly.

But she would never directly ask him to quit. Her argument was always that he was such a good soccer player and had played for so long, why give that up?

“But he loves it,” says Danita.

And so does Dan.

Danita brags about how proud Dan is of Buddy.

“Even if Buddy wasn’t talented athletically, he would still be proud of Buddy. Dan just loves football and loves Buddy and Buddy’s playin’ football, so it’s a great package,” she says with a smile.

But Dan understands his wife’s conflicting emotions about the game.

“I think that any rational human being, you know … women … they look at it and they go ‘What in God’s name is the point of all this?'” Dan explains … and then shakes his head in laughter.

A treatable challenge

The type of diabetes Buddy has, type I, is an autoimmune disease where a portion of the pancreas does not function. The beta cells in the pancreas cannot produce insulin, which breaks down sugar in the blood for use by the body. Lack of insulin causes sugar to build up in the blood. Uncontrolled, diabetes can affect the function of various parts of the body, including the eyes, heart, and kidneys.

So how does it affect Buddy?

For nearly 11 years, Buddy has controlled his diabetes by testing blood-sugar levels four to five times per day, and giving himself (usually) three insulin shots per day.

Luckily for him, there have been few adverse effects. That’s because he has regulated himself so well since he was first diagnosed and always stuck to a diet recommended for him.

“Where people get in trouble is when they don’t exercise and they start to get overweight and things just go downhill from there,” explains Buddy.

“You just control it and you’re fine,” he says

Dr. Anne Boniface, a pediatric endocrinologist, agrees and says that it’s really just a lot of common sense.

“Take care of yourself and think ahead,” she says.

It can be a challenge to maintain stable blood sugar levels during extended periods of exertion. If too much insulin is taken, blood sugar goes low, which can cause dizziness and shakiness and even disorientation.

Buddy has only had several occasions where that has been a problem.

“The two times I’ve seen him a little dingie, I call it dingie, or a little disoriented, it was because he needed sugar,” says Hackett, who has coached Buddy for four years in basketball and football.

“He was playing defense on offense or offense on defense. He was disoriented a little bit,” Hackett explains. “We knew and we took him right out.”

As Buddy recalls, he drank some Gatorade and just sat down until he got his blood sugar back up.

“I went back in after half … third or fourth quarter, so it doesn’t last that long if you take care of it,” Buddy says.

It’s easily treated with food and drinks if caught early on. If it’s not treated promptly, an episode can become severe. A glucagon shot, which directly counteracts insulin, may be needed.

So what types of things can’t a diabetic do?

As far as physical restrictions are concerned, there really aren’t any.

“We try not to restrict them. We want them to do as much as they can,” says Dr. Boniface.

Unfortunately, there are still many misconceptions about diabetes. “From, ‘you’ll be in a wheelchair’ to ‘it’s contagious.’ It sets you off as different,” says Dr. Boniface, “and depending on the people you encounter, there could be small or large discriminations.”

A popular alternative to daily insulin injections is a Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Device, more commonly known as an insulin pump.

The pump, which is about the size of a pager, is often worn on a belt or in a pocket. A needle is used to insert a catheter into an area of fatty tissue, such as in the abdomen, side, or thigh. The pump contains a vial of insulin that is continuously released into the body in small amounts.

When the vial runs out, which for Buddy is every three days, and he starts another, he injects his catheter into a new spot.

“My doctor recommended it about a year, year and a half ago. At first, I didn’t like the idea of something connected to my side for all day, so I kept putting it off,” Buddy says.

Each visit with his doctor made him consider the pump more.

About seven months ago, he and his family got really serious about it, watched videos, and talked in more detail with his doctor. Buddy even found people to talk to who already had the pump and were athletic as well. They told him they just take it off when they’re playing a sport.

“They didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all, so I thought I’d give it a try. It really controls the diabetes a lot better. My blood sugar level is like perfect all the time,” he says.

The pump does cause an interesting side effect – but not on Buddy.

“That little needle that he sticks in his stomach, it makes me a little wheezy,” says good friend and teammate, Chris Bombardier with a grin.

During games, Buddy disconnects the pump but leaves the catheter in. He says that he can safely remove the pump for the length of a game.

“That doesn’t seem to effect me at all, so it works out good,” Buddy says.

Although Buddy is having great success with the pump, it is not a cure-all, or even appropriate for all patients.

As Dr. Boniface says, “They don’t do the monitoring for you … so a patient must be responsible [controlling blood sugar levels] before they will get a pump.”

She explains that for people who take good care of themselves and keep control of their blood sugar, but want even better control of diabetes, the pump is one of the best ways to do it.

Back on the field

Buddy is usually full of energy and having diabetes doesn’t slow him down a bit.

“He’s got more energy than all of us combined,” comments Hackett, at football practice.

But back in the beginning, Hackett had concerns. He didn’t know Buddy. Or his condition.

He was unsure of how honest Buddy would be with him.

“I just think he loves to play so much that he’d go a step beyond where he should be. No sport’s worth that,” says Hackett.

Now, after knowing Buddy for four years, Hackett is confident that Buddy will be open and honest.

“I think now that Buddy would tell us, ‘Coach, I need a break.’ I really believe that. I think he has it under such good control that he would take himself out.”

But even though the trust is there, Hackett still looks after Buddy. But not because of his medical condition.

“We need to take care of Buddy. He gives too much. I’m a little cautious with Buddy just because he would not want to let anyone down for anything,” explains Hackett.

Over the years, Buddy has endured situations that have shown Hackett and others just what makes him tick.

One of those came on the second play of the third football game of his junior year. Buddy took a handoff, ran outside the defense, and took off along the sideline. After absorbing a hit, he extended his arm to break his fall and broke his wrist.

Buddy was upset. Angry.

He was actually getting playing time at the varsity level and now he’d be out for most of the season.

“His wrist, it was awful,” says Hackett, “It was right around backwards.”

The injury didn’t keep Buddy down for long.

He still attended practice wearing a cast. Within a couple of weeks, Hackett threw him passes, and Buddy was diving for the ball.

“He shouldn’t have been,” Hackett says laughing, “but he’s a little bit crazy.”

Buddy came back and played at the end of the season.

“Most people wouldn’t do that. He’s such a great example,” says Hackett proudly.

His teammates apparently agreed. They picked him as a team captain for his senior year.

It was one of the proudest moments for both Dan and Danita.

At first, Danita recalls, she and Dan were worried that the coaches had forgotten about Buddy during the football banquet following his junior year. Hackett, the running backs coach, was talking about all his players and skipped right over Buddy. They thought the coaches forgot about him because he was injured and unable to play most of the season.

“Then,” she says with a grin, “One of his friends looked over at Buddy and said, ‘Buddy, you’re captain. You’re captain.'”

As Dan, Danita and Buddy found out, the coaches don’t talk about the players who will be announced as captains.

“To be announced captain,” she says with her hand on her heart and a tear in her eye, “I think he had tears. I know I did.”

Winning attitude

It’s week six of the high school football season and Bangor’s undefeated season is in jeopardy.

The fans are going wild, cheering as if it were the last play of the Super Bowl.

Timeout is called. It’s 7-7, in triple overtime.

Fourth and goal from the 3-yard line.

Coaches are trying to decide whether to play it safe and kick a field goal or take the chance on a touchdown.

One player’s voice shouts out above the rest, “Go for it! Go for it!”

It’s Buddy.

The coaches agree. Buddy dives in for a touchdown, and his friend Achorn kicks the extra point.

And after Oxford Hills answers with a score of its own, the Rams block the PAT kick.

Players, coaches, and fans celebrate the Rams’ sixth straight victory.

And there on the sidelines, Danita waits. Just like she does after every game.

“To this day, at the end of games, I hug him. And it’s not that I’m happy he won, although I’m very happy they’re having a winning season, but that he’s OK.”