Nov. 12--A volleyball setter's greatest test is one of balance, figuratively and physically. They must keep all their hitters involved while most of the time performing sets in midair with pinpoint accuracy.
It should be no surprise then that Del Oro senior Jess Lehner is one of the best in the area -- for the past six years she's been doing a daily balancing act just to stay alive.
When she was 11, Lehner was diagnosed with Type I (juvenile) diabetes, which affects the pancreas' ability to produce insulin. Insulin gets sugar into the bloodstream and, if a person's blood sugar is too high, they go into a diabetic coma. Too little blood sugar can produce fainting.
"It's definitely been a hardship," Lehner said. "It was hard at the beginning getting used to the differences we face."
Every day she must check her blood sugar level at least five times, give herself at least four shots of insulin -- sometimes during class -- and sit out from physical activity if her blood sugar dips too low.
"I had never got a shot in my life before (the diagnosis)," Lehner said.
At the time of her diagnosis, her mother, Holli, was home-schooling her through fifth grade and noticed that she was sleeping much longer than before. Holli decided to sleep in Jess' room for a few nights and noticed that Jess was going to the bathroom every hour.
Like any parents, Holli and husband Curt, a chiropractor, researched every source they could. And even though Holli didn't want to believe it, doctors confirmed that her daughter was diabetic. A one in 400 shot.
"Denial is an amazing thing in a mother," Holli Lehner said.
Normal blood sugar levels are between 80 and 110 milligrams per deciliter. At the time of her diagnosis, Jess was near 600 mg/dl. Doctors strongly warned against sports and vigorous athletic activity, but for an already active girl playing water polo and soccer, no sports was not an option.
"My parents and I knew there was no way that it was going to work," Jess Lehner said. "And I'm proud that I've been able to play sports in spite of it."
Jess went out for volleyball beginning in seventh grade, the fulfillment of a goal she'd had since early youth watching the sport on television.
"I always loved volleyball, and I jumped at the first opportunity," she said.
She played with an insulin pump -- a device about the size of a cell phone -- on her hip for her first two years at Del Oro on the junior varsity team. There are still times that she has to sit out -- Del Oro coach Stuart Kageta estimates once every two weeks or so -- for a few minutes, but he says she is very much in control. Sometimes, Holli says, if Jess has gone through a long practice or match, it can take up to 20 minutes to wake her up the next morning.
"The girls hardly notice," Kageta said. "She's taken command of it, and it's not a distraction at all."
Tuesday, Jess Lehner -- who ranks sixth in the section in assists -- had a stellar match in Del Oro's Division III Section playoff opener, dishing out 23 assists in a sweep of El Dorado. No. 7 seed Del Oro will play a second-round match Thursday.
"Every time I step on the court, it's kind of sad because it could be my last match," Lehner said. "I'll miss all the girls, but it's also a big step to go further and on to college. It's good and bad at the same time."
That reality, and the change it represents, is equally unnerving and promising for her mother, too.
"Her senior year (of high school) is all about getting to a point where she can do it on her own," Holli Lehner said. "I just want her to have a set of checks and balances so that when she does go off to college, she can manage it."
The Lehners have been in contact with Cal State Stanislaus, Azusa Pacific, Point Loma and Westmont and are hopeful Jess will get an athletic scholarship.
"Obviously to come this far is an accomplishment," Holli Lehner said. "It's very important for her and others to see she can excel. You can apply that perseverance to all aspects of life."
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Call The Bee's John Parker, (916) 326-5519.
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