Embrace, overcome

MADISON, Wis. — "It came as a shock."

University of Wisconsin women's hockey forward Brette Pettet remembers when she was a high school sophomore playing hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota.

She remembers completing lab work one summer morning, returning home from the hospital and taking a few bites out of her lunch with her mother seated next to her.

Pettet also distinctly remembers that telephone call — one that changed her entire life.

"The doctor on the phone told us that I had to be rushed right back to the hospital because my results showed that my blood sugar levels were extremely high," she said. "They didn't want to talk in specifics over the phone because they just wanted me to get there as soon as possible."

That day, at 15 years old, Pettet was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

"For the first few days, I was just trying to figure it all out because I am the type of person that if I do not understand something, then I'm going to work at it until I do," she said. "I would say probably two weeks into it, though, that's when it hit me."

For people with Type 1 Diabetes, their bodies fail to produce insulin, which is a hormone that converts starches, sugar and other forms of food into energy. Without energy, the human body will quickly burn through its reserves of muscle and fat. As a result, health complications increase. This presents itself as major challenge for athletes like Pettet, who must train regularly.

"It was a lot and initially very overwhelming," Pettet said. "From that point on, everything that I would eat or drink I needed to pay attention to. I was also told that I would have to prick my finger a certain number of times a day, keep track of carbohydrates and keep track of other dietary stuff."

Early on, Pettet said that learning to live with the disease was difficult. Occasionally, she confessed there were moments when she wondered if playing hockey was worth it.

"My mindset switched for a bit over the course of the summer," she said. "It went from, 'Am I going to be able to play hockey at the same level?' to 'Is it even worth it?'"

Her parents, John and Debbie, were influential in shaping her attitude as they helped her see the bigger picture.

"They told me that even though this was something I would have to deal with, life is still good and I could be dealing with something so much worse," Pettet said. "It made me open up my eyes, and as a result, has helped me understand how truly fortunate I am."

Pettet did just that, and found immediate success as a newcomer with the Badgers. As a freshman, she appeared in all 38 games, leading all first-year players in point-scoring (19 points) and boasted the most shots (92) among Badgers rookies last season.

Like many of her fellow Badgers, Pettet approaches the game embracing a team-first attitude and a tenacious drive. From afar, the only thing that separates Pettet from her teammates is concealed underneath her jersey.

"I recently went through the process with our athletic trainer Stefanie [Arndt] of getting body sensors," Pettet said. "I no longer need to prick my finger now. Instead, we can just read the numbers from an app on my phone. That's been very nice."

Thanks to the network of support provided to her at Wisconsin, Pettet says she can apply more of her focus on being a competitor, first and foremost.

"Here, Stef and my coaches have done everything to help me and have answered all my questions," she said. "They've put me in a position to succeed, for sure."

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When asked about facing limitations during practice and games, Pettet doesn't focus on her challenges. In fact, she chuckles describing how Stefanie waits for her on the side of the rink with small gummies after her body quickly burns through sugar while on the ice.

"You can't really control it, but everyone understands what is going on and what I need to do before I go out, or what I need when I am taken out," Pettet said. "Most of the time, it only takes a few minutes until I'm feeling better and then I get right back into it."

Whether its chasing after defenders or simply working hard until the end of practice, Pettet possesses the type of mentality that makes her a perfect fit on the WCHA-Final Faceoff bound Badgers, who play Ohio State on Saturday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.

Yet, no matter the opponent or environment, much remains the same for Pettet. She takes every moment with her team as an opportunity to improve and praises the upperclassmen for guiding the Badgers to success thus far.

"A lot of them have been here before, so they can share their experiences from the past," she said. "They can also talk about their tough games and bring that here to make sure we build on it."

Like the Badgers veterans sharing their hockey experiences, Pettet offers advice for younger athletes, hockey players and everyone else in between.

"You can't let this affect your abilities and knowing what you can achieve," she proclaimed. "Originally, I thought this would prevent me from playing hockey at a collegiate level, but if anything, now it's made me even more aware of my body, nutrition and what I need to feel the best while performing."

Most importantly, Pettet stresses what keeps her going isn't as complicated as one might assume.

"Playing has always been a source of inspiration for me, even before I was diagnosed," she said. "That said, it has made me realize how lucky I am to be where I am and still doing what I love.

"Diabetes doesn't define me and isn't a condition that I let hinder my ability to play hockey."

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