This is a piece I wrote recently for my Digital Journalism class here at Marquette. The assignment was to write a "personal profile" feature story in the third person and we had to read it out loud to the class so we could then be critiqued by each other and the instructor. I just got back from the class about 15 minutes ago. I obviously couldn't see myself when I read it out loud tonight, but I feel like my face always gets red in those types of situations. That'll be something I'll have to work on. Enjoy!
Eric Decker is your typical college
student. He wakes up each day, goes to class, eats his meals, studies, hangs
out with friends, reads a book, then goes to bed just like everyone else might.
The way Eric dresses isn’t totally out of this world either, wearing jeans or
khaki-like pants, a sweatshirt or a flannel shirt, and a short, basically conservative
hair cut. On the outside, there isn’t much that isn’t “run of the mill” for
Eric Decker. But on the inside, for Eric, now that’s a whole new ballgame.
Eric Decker is an eighteen year old
freshman undergraduate student at Marquette University from Lake Bluff, IL.
Just five months ago, Eric moved into his freshman dorm room, officially starting
his college career, but just two months prior to that, Eric was diagnosed with
type 1 diabetes.
With diabetes, each and every day is
different and provides its own challenges. For Eric, his day starts and ends
the same way: by checking his blood sugar level. On top of checking his blood
sugar level eight to ten times a day, Eric must give himself an injection of
insulin before every meal he eats and before he goes to bed at night.
“Diabetes is basically just a big inconvenience,”
said Decker. “It’s like a pebble in your shoe. Sometimes you don’t notice it,
but it’s still always there.”
Eric says that finding out about his
diagnosis was a hard moment to grip, but sees the diagnosis as a blessing as
well. “I was pretty sick leading up to when I found out I had diabetes because
of all the symptoms that go along with having a high blood sugar for a long period
of time,” Decker expressed. “So finding out [about the diagnosis] meant that I
could get better and get back to being my old self.”
Eric affirmed that he doesn’t want to let
diabetes keep him from doing anything he wants to do with his life, including
playing sports. On top of his academics, Eric plays intramural volleyball at
Marquette. Eric has played volleyball since the seventh grade and it has always
been a passion of his. “I have always loved volleyball because of all the
people I have met playing the sport,” Decker remarked. “I made a good amount of
friends playing volleyball on my intramural team this year, so that has
definitely been a highlight of my time here so far.”
Eric revealed that many of the friends he
hung out with in high school he met because of volleyball. “I don’t know why,
but the culture that goes along with volleyball… you just get really close with
everyone you play with. It’s like a lifestyle that we all connect with,” Decker
asserted. “I am still friends with guys I met playing club volleyball back in
the eighth grade.”
Alongside intramural volleyball, Eric is a
volunteer leader for Young Life at Whitefish Bay High School, just north of
Milwaukee. Young Life was a big part of Eric’s life
in high school and he implied that he wants it to remain prevalent in his life
during college as well. Eric first became involved with Young Life when he went
to a week-long camp in New York with the local group the summer before his
senior year of high school. “I remember
walking onto the bus… barely knowing anybody,” Decker recalled. “But by the end
of the trip, I was friends with everyone. That week changed my life. I found
out a lot about myself and gained a lot of confidence in who I am.”
Eric understands the time commitment that
it will take being a leader, but sees this responsibility almost as a
necessity. “Taking time out of my nights and weekends to do things for Young
Life gives me the necessary pressure to get my school work done. If I had
nothing going on besides classes all day, I would have no motivation to get my
work done efficiently. Young Life is a lot of fun, too,” Decker added.
So whether you see Eric Decker from the
inside or just the outside, understand this: he is all about being genuine. “I
am just trying to live my life moment by moment with as much sincerity as I can,”
Decker voiced. “Life is always going to have its struggles, but out of each and
every one of those struggles can come a lot of good…. I’m always looking
forward to see what’s gonna get thrown at me next.”
