Schafer thrives on pitch after diabetes diagnosis

Senior striker has been Eagles’ leading scorer last four years

Geneva senior striker Dawson Schafer has been his side’s leading scorer the last four seasons — and he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in May. Schafer shares his journey with Chris Lillstrung.

Much as he has over the three years prior to it, Dawson Schafer goes about his business the same way he always has.

The standout senior striker for Geneva reads the game well, makes smart runs, maximizes his workrate and even floats into midfield to get touches depending on natural attacking flow in a match.

He has been the Eagles’ leading scorer throughout his career and is at the forefront of a program turnaround from the depths of the abyss.

All of that is without even knowing the most impressive facet of all:

In May, Schafer was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

“It was tough at first,” Schafer said after netting a hat trick in a 5-1 win at Holy Name on Oct. 11. “We went to Edinboro (for a camp) in July, and I was going to see how that played out.

“And it played out well. I’m doing great.”

He’s not only doing great, but whether he wants to or not, he’s setting a great example along the way in not letting a jarring diagnosis define him.

Schafer began to notice something wasn’t quite right this past winter during basketball season.

“Yeah, it hit me pretty hard,” Schafer said. “I didn’t know. It was starting to affect my play in basketball a little bit — blurry vision a little bit.

“But once I got it figured out, I started to feel a lot healthier and stronger.”

The figuring-out component was much more complicated than anyone hoped.

Geneva coach Jeff Hull said Schafer was in concussion protocol after the blurry vision in basketball.

“I was concerned for him personally,” Hull said.

“The symptoms just weren’t going away. He went to the doctors, thinking, ‘I just have a head injury.’ And you get a bombshell like diabetes.”

According to the American Diabetes Society, Type 1 diabetes is a rare form of the ailment vs. the more common Type 2. Approximately 1.25 million people in the United States have Type 1 diabetes, and 40,000 are newly diagnosed every year.

In addition to insulin injections, diet, exercise and constant blood-sugar monitoring are vital.

“In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin,” the American Diabetes Society states on its website. “The body breaks down the carbohydrates you eat into blood glucose (also called blood sugar), which it uses for energy.

“Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy lives.”

What that management doesn’t account for, however, is the initial shock and contemplation of the diagnosis.

Schafer credits his support system for helping him through that initial step. And now, he continues to thrive on the pitch.

“My mom and dad are really good and supportive of this whole thing,” Schafer said. “They’ve been the ones to push me through it all.

“Honestly, it doesn’t affect (my everyday life) at all. I’ve got to check my blood sugar and make sure everything is all right before a game and eat. Actually, I do have to rest a lot more, starting now because I got diagnosed. But I’ve just got to make sure I’m eating the right amount of carbs and make sure I’m checking my stuff. Other than that, it’s going pretty well.”

And amazing even those closest to him.

“First and foremost, when I found out, I just wanted to reach out to him and make sure that he was all right and he was dealing with it all right,” Hull said. “But he is a strong young man. It didn’t slow him down. It didn’t slow him down one bit. And other than his coach being overprotective and asking him non-stop how he’s doing and what’s his (bloodsugar) number, he hasn’t let it affect him at all.

“Everyone has come together to help him, and him just really being strong and smart about it. It’s a testament, when he is having a season like he is, after having something like that, it’s inspiring.”

After his aforementioned hat trick Oct. 11, Schafer has 25 goals this fall and 46 for his career.

In Schafer’s first two seasons, Geneva won four matches combined. But as he and a standout senior class, including midfield playmakers Alex Lechintan and Grant Mihalick, have grown together, the Eagles’ fortunes have changed.

Geneva went 8-5-4 in 2017 and enters this postseason 11-4-1. It marks the first time the Eagles have reached double-digit wins in a season since 2010.

Two years ago, Geneva won one match all year.

This season, the Eagles already had one win before they stepped on the pitch through Schafer’s determination to manage his new reality.

Hull lauds Schafer’s ability to read a match, which he has “really taken to another level.”

And that’s not the only thing Schafer has helped take to another level, part of a renaissance and authoring a tale of perseverance for good measure when you wouldn’t even know it.

“Honestly, we just practice really hard,” Schafer said. “This year, compared to last year, we just work hard.

“It’s an amazing feeling. Coming in here being a senior — a lot of us are seniors, actually. We have 10 seniors on the squad. Starting and getting a double-digit win season is amazing for us.”

Schafer