LeMaster suddenly lost 14 pounds in just eight days. He felt weak and was frequently thirsty and hungry. He felt sick and had very low energy, so his parents took him to his doctor.
“My blood sugar was in the 900s,” LeMaster said.
Normal non-fasting blood sugar should be 140 mg.
“I ended up in ICU at Dayton Children’s for a week.”
Most 10-year-olds have no idea what diabetes is, so when LeMaster was diagnosed in 2016, everything suddenly seemed entirely too complicated for a young boy to understand. Learning to give himself insulin injections was only part of what he needed to learn in order to survive.
“My parents and I had a crash course on diabetes the entire week I was in the hospital,” LeMaster said. “They explained how I got diabetes and since I’m a type 1, part of it is hereditary.”
The other part, which was just fluke, was that LeMaster had been given antibiotics for strep throat just a month before diagnosis, the drugs affected his pancreas, and it was no longer functioning. Though a few of his relatives have type 2 diabetes (or adult onset), LeMaster has Type 1 or juvenile diabetes.
“I remember being confused because I thought diabetes was something kids didn’t have,” LeMaster said.
Diagnosed in December, LeMaster went back to school after his diagnosis and his entire class was “very supportive,” and they all learned about the disease together before leaving for Christmas break. It’s a time LeMaster will never forget because it made him feel better about his future and what was ahead.
Now, LeMaster is in his senior year at Centerville High school. He plays on the varsity golf team after picking up the game in 6th grade when his grandfather, Michael LeMaster, an avid golfer himself, convinced him to play.
And because so many people in the community supported him as a child and still do as a high school student, he has also been an avid supporter of not only his school but of organizations throughout the Dayton area.
“The big thing I’ve been involved with is a part of student council called ‘Spirit Chain,’” LeMaster said. “It’s a competition that Centerville has with Kettering and the schools raise money leading up to the football game between the schools.”
Each year, the schools choose a charity or charities that will receive the funds raised through the program. Inspired by his older brother, Cooper, who had raised money for a local animal welfare foundation when he was in high school, LeMaster started researching organizations that might need more support. That’s when he found Diabetes Dayton.
“I ended up raising $1,250 on my own and that helped Diabetes Dayton get supplies they needed like test trips, and alcohol swabs,” LeMaster said. “I knew I could do more to help them, so I introduced them to my classmates in Spirit Chain.”
A local nonprofit organization, Diabetes Dayton relies on donations to help it support diabetics in need of education, nutrition help, emergency insulin and supplies. They also offer a camp each summer at no or reduced charge for children with diabetes.
Last year, Centerville’s student council Spirit Chain raised a total of $86,000, which was split between Diabetes Dayton and Clothes that Work in Dayton. That $43,000 was the single largest donation Diabetes Dayton has ever received. And this year, the Centerville students raised a total of $131,140, an all-time record for the Spirit Chain. The students chose five organizations, and Diabetes Dayton was again one.
“Barrett has been the driving force in raising critical funds for Diabetes Dayton,” said Cris Peterson, executive director of the organization. “He has done this both with the Centerville High School Spirit Chain and on his own.”
LeMaster now wears an insulin pump, which provides him with automatic insulin on demand, freeing him from as many as six to eight injections daily. He was able to visit Camp Ko-Man-She, which is held annually outside of Bellefontaine, Ohio in July this year.
“Those kids go for 10 days and get to be with other kids who are like them,” LeMaster said. “Everyone is going through the same things, and they can support each other. I love that.”
Last week, LeMaster spoke to a crowd of about 150 people at Diabetes Dayton’s Better Together Breakfast. There he shared his personal story and his passion for raising money to help others with his same disease.
With college ahead of him, LeMaster is considering playing golf and majoring in marketing and promotions and outreach.
“To me, it’s important to see smiles on the faces of those in need,” LeMaster said. “It touches my heart and makes me feel great to see it.”
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