Austin Blaske has been in the news a lot in recent months as the 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive lineman transferred from the University of Georgia, where he played for the last four years, to North Carolina.
But a recent honor that Blaske received shined the light on something that has not been widely reported. Blaske, who has Type 1 diabetes, was named by the Talki Foundation, a Georgia diabetes non-profit, as the organization’s Person of the Year.
The former South Effingham star was diagnosed with the disease as a fifth grader and he never let it slow him down in his athletic or academic pursuits. He went on to become a football, wrestling and track and field star for the Mustangs, and his diabetic condition was never reported in the press.
“It really wasn’t, and there’s no reason why or why not,” said Blaske, 22. “It just hasn’t been a thing that I’ve ever put out there. But now that I’m being recognized with this award, it seems like the whole world knows now.
“The toughest thing about it is being consistent about what times I eat and when I take my medicine. The biggest thing is just finding the groove and hitting that target number every day with your blood sugar control and keeping it in the range every day.”
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Austin Blaske of the North Carolina football team.
Savannah’s Charlie Komons founded the Talki Foundation six years ago. A diabetic himself, Komons named the organization after one of his service dogs, named Talki, that saved his life by detecting changes in his blood sugar level. The foundation’s mission is to help spread awareness and…
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