Sacred Heart-Griffin High School senior Mallory Beck didn’t choose sports — at least not nearly as much as sports chose her.
Beck — The State Journal-Register’s Central State Eight Conference Female Athlete of the Year — kept both herself and the opposition busy. She was diagnosed with diabetes at age 6, and she has spent time talking to other kids on how to cope with the disease and live a normal life.
“They were all sorts of different ages, anywhere from 5 to 20, kids that are even older than me,’’ said Beck, who will play basketball and softball at the University of Illinois Springfield. “I’ve shared my experiences with them. I told them that anything’s possible. Don’t let it hold you back and keep you from what you’re capable of doing. It helps with my responsibility and leadership role . . . it motivates me to do more and never be satisfied.”
Beck was featured in a June 8, 2010, article in The State Journal-Register.
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