Delaney’s Story

Hi! My name is Delaney Holtey and I was diagnosed with T1D at 7 years old. I've been navigating T1D for over 15 years while balancing academics, sports, relationships, etc. I want to discuss the mindset surrounding T1D and how you can change your perspective when handling this invisible disease.

I was able to grow up doing what every other kid was doing… running, playing, and learning all about life with T1D as an extra component. I am the only person in my family with T1D, and I am incredibly blessed with great support systems. My parents set me up to manage diabetes myself, and when I needed help they would be there to encourage me. I was taught that a relentless attitude would be the best thing for my health, and this mindset bled into every other aspect of my life as well.

Growing up, sports were a huge part of my life and I knew I wanted to play college soccer at a young age. I was determined to not let my T1D impact my goals and dreams. This required top tier management and planning. Even when I didn't want to put in the work I made sure I stayed on top of my health to allow me the opportunities to get recruited. Early on in high school, I committed to the University of Iowa to play soccer and get my degree. I finished out my high school career in 2021, moving to Iowa City shortly after. Over the next four years I earned my degree in Health and Human Physiology and graduated from the University of Iowa as a Women’s Soccer Letterwinner in spring of 2025. I cherished my time as a Hawkeye and I’m now studying to get my doctorate as a chiropractor at Palmer College of Chiropractic.

Over the last 5 years, there have been many ups and downs regarding injuries in sport, difficult academics, transitions, hard lessons… you name it. When you add your typical life adversities in addition to navigating T1D, things can be a bit rocky at times. I had my fair share of days where I wanted to quit and give up on taking care of my health. There were tears, frustrations, anger, and pure exhaustion some days. I have found that it is important to acknowledge when you're burnt out of T1D and give yourself some grace. When burnout happens I always keep my T1D in perspective by reminding myself what I do today will help me tomorrow, control what you can, and someone always has it worse. For example, if I have a site fail overnight and my blood sugars are completely out of whack when I wake up, I try my best to correct while also embracing the fact that my blood sugars will be “off” the entire day. I focus on what I can control, rather than getting frustrated that I'm out of my normal routine. I typically think to myself “tomorrow is a new day, just do what you can for today”. I can only control how I prepare and respond to situations, so there is no point in dwelling on what went wrong. It was simply out of my control. I also frequently remind myself that life could be much worse. I could have an unmanageable disease. I try to be grateful for the insulin I have in my fridge, the extra supplies in my closet, roof over my head, and food on the table. And yes, while I do live with T1D, I am grateful because I’m healthy and able to maintain it.

Over the years, I've learned to frame my mindset in a way that allows for me to see what’s to GAIN in every situation. The ability to be full of gratitude has changed my life, and in turn has helped me gain confidence as a person. Having gratitude can be motivating. For example, I briefly mentioned being healthy despite living with T1D. Having T1D is a great motivator for me to eat right, workout, and be intentional with my lifestyle. I’m already at a slight disadvantage having T1D, so why wouldn’t I work hard to counteract this with my daily habits?

This mindset has led me to frequently ask “why not you?”. Many people get handed bad luck in life and ask ‘why me”? I challenge that… why not you? What were you meant to learn from this? How can it make you a better person, friend, partner, leader? How can you work to inspire and help others going through similar things? I encourage others to not let life happen to them, but rather face it head on. Why wouldn't you get that job, win that game, dominate that practice, or score well on that exam? Why can’t you do those things while having T1D? What about this disease is going to stop you? What are you going to let stand in the way of your goals and dreams?

The reality is, T1D will only stand in your way if you let it. It doesn't mean there won't be times you'll need to take breaks or reset along the way. Like anything, setbacks happen and life is full of ups and downs. When setbacks occur give yourself grace, reset, and move forward with the same goals in mind. I made the decision that having T1D would not stand in the way of any goal, embracing the “why not you?” mentality. Changing the way you think might help you realize that your perspective can hold you back. You're stronger than you think and capable of more than you realize. So I leave you with this question to answer… why not you?

Delaney Hotley