Adam Rubin of ESPN NY writes that Cory Vaughn, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 11, wears an insulin pump in his back, left pocket to regulate his blood sugar, even while playing.
Vaughn shared with me back in December that when people find out about his condition, it is somewhat surprising to them, “I feel that a lot of people don’t know that I am Type 1 Diabetic. That’s always something that catches people by surprise; they look at me and say that I’m in good shape and not overweight, but with Type 1 Diabetes that’s not always the case. It can happen to anybody. I like to put that out there, because there are a lot of kids that have juvenile diabetes, and to know that they can accomplish anything if they set their mind to it.”
Vaughn also shares about the pouch in his back left pocket, “I take a pump, and I wear it in my left back pocket and people think that I have a cell phone or something in there, and to protect it, I slide on my right side.”
He talks about of how a certain element can cause a slight delay with his medication, “It does malfunction at least once a year; I remember when I had a game winning home run in Brooklyn, and my buddy Darrell Ceciliani dumped a water cooler on me and it went all in the pump, and it got fried up, and they over-nighted me one.”
Vaughn, 24, the son of Greg Vaughn, who is a 15 year MLB vet, has been with the Mets organization since he was signed in the 4th Round of the 2010 June Amateur Draft from San Diego State University. He has moved up through the system making stops at Brooklyn (A-), Savannah (A), St. Lucie (A+) and Binghamton (AA), along the way preparing for the opportunity to make an impact on the big club. “My goals have always been to get to the big leagues, and be an everyday player. Regardless of what happens, I am going to have no regrets, go in and I put my work in, play the game hard, and have fun. I’m a good teammate and the goals are to just try and get better every single day,” says the outfield prospect.
In 2013, and in limited playing time due to suffering an elbow strain in his right throwing arm, he batted a combined, .267/.346/.424, with 10 home runs, and 50 RBI’s in 71 games. He also represented the Mets in the Arizona Fall League, and continues to make his way back to top form. The younger Vaughn was not added to the Mets 40-man roster but did receive an invite to the Big League camp.
The fact that Vaughn understands the magnitude of his illness, but willing to go out there everyday and prove that anyone can follow after their dreams is priceless. Vaughn is a great role model to all those that suffer with the same condition, by showing that anything is possible when you have a dream and go after it.
You can read the full conversation with Rubin as Vaughn shares how he handles playing with Type 1 Diabetes, by clicking here.
(Photo: MiLB.com)
