Anissa Gamble is a Canadian scientist and professional ice hockey player, currently playing with the PWHPA. She is among the few people to have played professional hockey while living with Type 1 diabetes.
She played on youth boys’ teams in the Maritimes until the age of 15, when she left home to attend Appleby College.
She participated in the first PWHPA Unifor Showcase event in Toronto in September 2019 as a member of Team Knox. In the Secret Showcase in January 2020, she played for Team Spooner. She was one of the players chosen to take part in a Dream Gap Tour Showcase against the Japanese national team in Tokyo in March 2020, before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her first ever interview on Women Fitness with President, Ms. Namita Nayyar, Anissa answers question related to her sprost, diet, lifestyle and tips on managing Type 1 Diabetes.
You were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 8. The physical symptoms you experienced that led to the diagnosis.
Anissa Gamble:
I experienced common signs of a type 1 diabetes diagnosis. I was constantly thirsty and hungry but was rapidly losing weight. I was urinating every few hours and experienced bed wetting. I was always tired, even falling asleep during class and recess, and was in a constant state of feeling frustrated or overwhelmed. Luckily, my parents recognized my diabetes symptoms as my grandmother lived with type 1 diabetes throughout her life, and I quickly brought to my physician to get tested.
Also referred to as Juvenile diabetes. How did you go about coping with diabetes, school routine, and sports? Challenges faced at school and the response of mates?
Anissa Gamble:
Juvenile diabetes means living or being diagnosed with diabetes as a child. Today, a large portion of people who are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are actually over the age of 30, so term juvenile diabetes is losing popularity.
Balancing type 1 diabetes with life, which for me evolves around school and hockey is really challenging. It’s macro and micro compensations that necessitates me to make on average 160 more decisions per day than someone not living with type 1 diabetes. Key aspects that help me is consistency, routines, preparation, and positive thinking.
You are a scientist and professional ice hockey player, currently playing with the PWHPA, this clearly indicates your determination to overcome your personal health issues to shine out against all odds. Please share lifestyle modifications you incorporated into your routine to lead a normal life?
Anissa Gamble:
That’s very kind of you to say. To my knowledge I’m the first women living with type 1 diabetes in North America to play “professional” hockey, and this floors me because I don’t foresee myself as a tremendous hockey player. I’ve been extremely fortunate to play with incredible athletes, people, and friends like Natalie Spooner, Sarah Nurse, Carolyne Prevost, Jillian Saulnier ( I could keep going on for days with incredible female hockey players), but they’re a big reason to who and where I am today. Their perseverance, hard work, and attitude is contagious and it’s been pivotal for my career and overall health.
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