Jack Kelley's Wordpress

It’s 1 AM, and TJ Schnurr has just awoken to his alarm going off on his phone, telling him his blood sugar is low. He reaches over to the side of his bed where he keeps Sunny-D and fruit snacks, eats some fruit snacks and drinks a Sunny-D, then heads back to bed. TJ Schnurr is a freshman at Morningside College, and this has been a staple of his life for as long as he can remember.

“Obviously I hate having to wake up in the middle of the night when I’m low, but it is just something that I have gotten used to by now. I honestly don’t really mind it anymore since I’ve had to do it so many times, I just always feel bad when there are people in the same room as me” says Schnurr.

His roommate, Conner Hill, has also gotten accustomed to the lifestyle of having an alarm go off during the night. “It was definitely different at first and it really scared me but now I am used to it.” says Hill.

Not only does the diabetes affect his sleeping schedule, it also affects his everyday life, and the life of an athlete. TJ Schnurr plays basketball, “One thing that I notice is a lot different for me than it is from other athletes is that while most athletes drink water, I drink Gatorade so I can keep my blood sugar level at a good number.” Says Schnurr. 

One new way Schnurr utilizes technology is by wearing a patch on his skin that can read his blood sugar and insulin levels. This patch connects right to his phone and shows him what kind of medication he needs to take, and what levels he is at.

“Ever since I have gotten this patch it has been so much easier. I always hated pricking my finger a bunch because sometimes it would bother me when I play basketball. This patch makes it super easy to read all of my levels without having to do any of that.” says Schnurr.

When TJ isn’t on the court or in the weight room, he lives a very normal life. his main hobby is playing video games. “TJ seems to always be on videos games or playing basketball” said his mother, Bo Schnurr. “At first I thought he needed to get up and go do something, but I realized how relaxing it is to him when he’s not shooting or lifting weights.” 

Schnurr agrees, adding, “I love playing video games. It is always fun for me to connect with friends back home or friends here through video games. And I love to win, and I do a lot of that.”

That is the attitude that TJ always carries with him. It’s that never quit, refuse to lose attitude that has gotten TJ to where he is today. In high school, TJ was a standout basketball player at Bishop Garrigan, leaving the school second in career points and first in career rebounds.

He also led Bishop Garrigan to the state tournament in basketball and was an all-state tight end and shot-put thrower. TJ realizes he has it a little bit tougher than mot but can use that as a chip on his shoulder and carries that with him wherever he goes in life. Schnurr ended with, “I hate giving up. You will see me fail 100 times before I give up. I think that is important for everyone to have, a never quit attitude.”

---