Delaney Wade said she believes God uses her story of strength to inspire others to realize their dreams.
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – Athletes are trained to build strength. You can often see the physical progress, but not the mental strength that goes into training.
A young CrossFit athlete from Knoxville is determined to change that as she battles type 1 diabetes. She hopes her journey will help inspire others to make their dreams come true.
Delaney Wade is only 15 years old, but knows more about strength and endurance than some people twice her age. She is an athlete in the truest sense of the word.
“I’m very interested in sports,” said Wade. “CrossFit, soccer, I usually go to the gym a lot.”
The active teenager spends most of his days in CrossFit One Valley at Dry Gap Pike in Knoxville. It is their safe haven.
“It’s like family, to be honest, I’m basically here all the time,” said Wade.
For them, strength is much more than just muscle strength.
“I think strength is coming through something really difficult or just overcoming something,” said Wade. “I think that’s the real strength.”
She focuses on building herself and others, but it wasn’t until 2019 that her limits were really tested.
“I’ve lost a lot of weight, but I exercise a lot, so my parents just thought I wasn’t eating enough and I was exercising too much,” said Wade. “I was moody, peed a lot and was always hungry. I would eat and then feel like I have to eat more.”
So she and her parents went on a trip to the hospital. It wasn’t long before the doctor came in and gave her life-changing news.
“She comes in and says, ‘You must have type 1 diabetes and you may die’ and she didn’t tell me how maybe she should because I looked at my dad when I heard that, I literally have started howling, “said Wade. “I couldn’t stop crying for a long time.”
She went straight to the emergency room for more tests. She immediately began to see her lifelong diagnosis as a hidden blessing.
“All the way to the emergency room, I had something on my mind that God really gave me this just to really inspire people,” Wade said. “I think that’s what kept me together.”
Since that day she has been using her diagnosis to inspire others to realize their dreams. She calls herself “Diabeast”. In fact, her Instagram is @ Diabeast0201.
“You can get through this,” said Wade. “Even if it seems very difficult at the beginning, it is good in the end, it really is.”
She wears a device called the Dexcom G6 every day. It monitors her blood sugar so she knows while exercising whether to stop and eat or inject herself.
“It’s a roller coaster to be honest. My sugar will be low, high, good and it can go up and down, but it’s not a bad roller coaster,” Wade said. “You just can’t really predict it. It’s really unpredictable.”
Now they are preparing with their trainer for the CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, in late July.
Wade had to submit a video in order to qualify for the global competition. She had to make it into the top 20, but she exceeded expectations and finished sixth in the world.
She couldn’t believe the news when she found out.
“It’s going to be crazy, but it’s going to be super fun and great and I’m looking forward to it,” said Wade.
She hopes that her strength will inspire others to keep pushing and find their strength within themselves.
“I want to inspire as many people as possible and be the best role model I can through my sport,” said Wade. “I just want to use what God has blessed me with to do great things with it, I think.”
You can follow Wade’s journey by following her Instagram @ Diabeast0201. There is also a link there to buy shirts from her.
