Riley, coach Cathy Reese’s 11-year-old son, took the field with the Terrapins women’s lacrosse team Saturday, walking to the circle alongside the squad’s captains. In the moments leading up to the opening draw, the Terps all chanted that they were playing for him.
And multiple times during the game, a season-high crowd of 1,879 also chanted for Riley. Reese’s son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 7.
In the second juvenile diabetes awareness game, the No. 1 Terps raised $10,971.08 while picking up an 18-6 win over James Madison. The total doesn’t include the money raised during a silent auction at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.
Reese matched every dollar donated up to $4,000 in the days leading up to Saturday’s game.
“This is something that is a part of my life,” Reese said. “We live it every day as a family. To have the opportunity to just create a conversation about something has been tremendous.”
The 10th-year coach got the idea to organize the game last season when she learned attacker Shelby Scanlin was a Type 1 diabetic. In the first awareness game against Rutgers last year, Reese helped raise more than $12,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.
In the weeks leading up to Saturday’s contest, the Terps sold blue Terps lacrosse shirts to kick-start the fundraising efforts.
Then Saturday, the Terps and Dukes warmed up in blue uniforms. The blue circle is the universal symbol for diabetes.
“We couldn’t be more thankful for all the money that was raised,” midfielder Taylor Cummings said. “We hope they find a cure.”
While Riley was involved in pregame activities against the Dukes, things weren’t always easy before and after his diagnosis.
When Riley suffered from abdomen pain and was drinking more water than usual, Reese took her son to have blood and urine tests, she told Lacrosse Magazine.
Riley spent two days in the hospital after the diagnosis and was hospitalized for 31 days a year later as a result of a virus.
“This game was for them,” Cummings said. “He’s living with a disease that really takes a tough toll on him, but he’s still the happiest kid ever.”
Riley still has to deal with the symptoms of the disease — the fatigue and constant pangs of hunger and thirst. But Saturday, during a game dedicated to help cure the disease, Riley had a temporary reprieve as he trotted out onto the field with the nation’s top team.
“It was great vibes,” defender Alice Mercer said. “This is a big win, and it’s something we needed as a whole. It was good for the Reese family, too.”
