Morrison Holds Clinic For Kids With Diabetes

In middle school, Adam Morrison worshiped Celtics great Larry Bird. The sharpshooter from French Lick was a human barometer for excellence on the court.

In dealing with diabetes, the then 14-year-old kid in Spokane, Washington couldn’t find a hero. No role model. No success story. No nothing.

Now 22, Morrison is the Bird of diabetes.

Morrison championed the cause of coping with the life-long disease by hosting 53 children during a special one-hour basketball clinic on Friday night. Morrison served as the emcee and was supported by Charlotte teammate Matt Carroll and assistant coach Jeff Capel who welcomed the children, all of whom — like Morrison — have diabetes.

“It was great to give back in the community, especially because I was in the same position they were,” Morrison, who has Type I diabetes, said. “I didn’t really have a visible athlete to look up to. It’s nice to give back to give them someone to look up to and realize they can do anything if they put their mind to it.”

Morrison and Carroll separated the children into two groups and spent three 15-minute sessions focusing on proper shooting, rebounding and layup techniques. Each child received individual evaluations and instruction from two of the Bobcats best shooters.

“The best part about the day for me was obviously meeting Adam Morrison,” said 10-year-old Evan Sachs. “I liked the information, how to handle the ball, rebounding. Basically everything.”

Morrison promised the faction of children, who sat in section 219 of Charlotte Bobcats Arena against Memphis, a large grunt on his first rebound. He also ensured that he would point to section at some point during the game.

“I learned to make noise during a rebound and ball handling skills, how to shoot better, said 12-year-old Nate Buchanan. “To have his autograph on a piece of paper is one thing, but actually to get it from him is a different thing. Man, I can’t believe I’m here.”

Morrison, normally reserved, was forthright during the 10-minute question-and-answer session. Interestingly, most of the questions pertained to how Morrison copes with diabetes in life and during the games, rather than adjustments to the NBA or his height.

The parents in attendance were equally concerned, and asked questions about devices used to check the levels, preferences of food and symptoms.

“As a parent, you want to your children to play sports,” said Mike Marr, who played briefly as an offensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons. “If it didn’t stop Morrison, who has Type I diabetes, from (playing in the NBA), then you can turn to your child and tell them they can do it too.”

Morrison understands because his parents asked the same questions when he was diagnosed in eighth grade.

“My parents were looking for answers right away too,” the rookie, who is averaging 13.0 and 3.2 rebounds, said. “They were asking a ton of questions and they’re still asking questions. The best thing you can do is educate yourself. For me being diagnosed at a young age, I can see both perspectives. I can understand what their worries were and how my worries were at a young age.”

The former Gonzaga standout has to constantly monitor his daily food intake and tries to avoid carbohydrate-heavy foods. Morrison dines on a steak and baked potato meal in the locker room two hours and 20 minutes before every tipoff.

During the game, he checks his blood sugar on the bench three or four times. If he reading doesn’t stay within his preferred 150-200 glucose concentration range, he’ll either drink apple juice or snack on crackers.

“He’s a good example of someone playing at the highest level despite something that could have held him back,” said Dave Sachs, father two sons with juvenile diabetes. “You want the best for your kid. My wife talks about wanting to check his blood sugar during the games. It’s something very personal.”

When he doesn’t have a game, Morrison likes to be within the 100-150 serum glucose level and personally prefers to have high blood sugar rather than low. He said that he once reached a blood glucose value of 52 when he was ill during a state high school championship game.

During the event, he had a monitoring pump device in his pocket. But Morrison, prides himself on “being like everybody else.”

“These kids go to school or wherever they’re at and have to live with this disease that makes them feel like they might be a little bit different,” said Kim Henderson, Presbyterian Hospital’s Director of Development and External Affairs. “But (Friday) they celebrated in the fact that there is an opportunity for them to live a healthy, normal life.”

At the event’s conclusion, Morrison smiled during pictures and signed personalized posters and jerseys. His bobblehead dolls, which the first 10,000 fans received against the Grizzlies, were also handed out.

“To me, Adam is a great person to take time off coming off a big road trip like he has,” said Dave Buchanan, who joked that meeting Morrison will go down among the annals of his family’s history. “To come out here and participate with these children, it’s wonderful. You look for examples, and leadership is a great thing to see and witness.”

Henderson agrees the clinic raised awareness, but more importantly Morrison’s presence means there’s a role model.

“The event was very valuable in the fact that Adam Morrison used his celebrity status to raise awareness about a disease that is not only affects him, but effects millions of kids,” she said.