It’s believed to have been a first in the history of the Dragons’ acclaimed “Home Run for Life” program — the game’s starting pitcher dealing with the same disease as the night’s honoree.
And there was another twist.
Garrett recently added a battery-powered insulin pump to his treatment regimen. Renken, a gangly (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) right-hander who would seize the Midwest League strikeout lead from teammate Josh Smith with a club record-tying 14 in six innings on this night, wears the same kind of pump in his back pocket while pitching.
Renken met Garrett, a Conover (Miami County) resident, and his family before a game a couple of weeks ago. He encouraged the boy and emphasized the importance of not letting their shared disease limit him in baseball — or any other area.
“You can do anything you want with it as long as you have a positive attitude,” Renken said. “That’s all you need. It’s not something that’s going to ruin your life as long as you keep your head up and keep going.”
‘Tired of the shots’
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition occurring when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. It is most often diagnosed in children, adolescents or young adults.
When Renken found out he had Type 1 as a kid growing up in Southern California, the pump wasn’t on the market yet.
“I think Garrett is kind of lucky with the technology that’s out there,” Renken said. “Back then, we didn’t have the great knowledge base about diabetes and how your body functions with it. It can be a hassle, but medicine can make his life a little easier.”
At first, Garrett tried insulin injections. That got old in a hurry.
“I was tired of the shots,” he said. “The pump makes me feel a lot better, and I can control it myself.”
Renken, the Reds’ 25th-round draft pick last year from Cal State Fullerton, is an old pro with the pump. It has become his lifeline, a trusted tool to go with the little yellow book that tells him the carbohydrate and fat content of the foods he eats.
“I used to take the book into restaurants,” he said, “but now I have everything memorized.”
One need not be a math whiz to use the pump, but there are calculations to be done.
“For every 10 grams of carbs that I eat, I give myself one unit of insulin,” Renken said. “So if I eat 86 grams of carbs, I give myself 8.6 units. It’s actually pretty simple.”
Carbs are necessary in a diabetic diet, but they turn into sugar in the body, which is why they need to be monitored.
Good role model
Renken said he refills his pump every 2 1/2 days or so. He is happy to talk about how it works:
“You eat something and you can either tell it exactly how much insulin you want it to give you or you can tell it how many carbs you ate and there’s already a carb-per-insulin ratio and it’ll automatically figure that out.
“And then, throughout the day it gives you a steady dose of insulin, probably about 1.2 units per hour for me.”
As role models go, young Garrett — who hopes to play for the Reds one day — could have done worse.
Renken was barely a prospect in college, his fastball rarely touching 90 miles per hour. But he worked hard to impress the Reds after signing for little money and, as Wednesday’s outing showed, could have a bright future.
If anything keeps Renken from the big leagues, he is confident it won’t be Type 1 diabetes. A handful of high-level athletes deal with the disease, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler prominent among them. Jason Johnson, an 11-year major-league veteran who is now retired, wore the pump while pitching for the Detroit Tigers.
Garrett recently won a home run derby at his school, Miami East Elementary. He told Renken he wants to pitch, too.
“I hope I get to see him again,” Renken said. “I hope he comes back out to some games. He’s a good kid. As long as he keeps his head up, I think he’s going to be all right.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland @DaytonDailyNews.com
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