I am Tommy Lichty, and I am 11 years old. I live with my dad, mom, older brother Timmy, and little sister, Alexa in Reno, NV. I like to play baseball, golf, football, basketball, tennis, ping pong, and kashwa (this is a game that my brother and I made up). My main passion, however, is the game of baseball. Ever since I could sit up, I have had a baseball bat in my hand. I currently play for the Main Padres, which are part of Washoe Little League, and I also play travelling tournament ball for The Nevada Outlaws. I bat third in the line up for every team I play for. The positions I play are pitcher, shortstop, catcher, and second base. My Nevada Outlaw team won the National Title in 2007, and I was named the MVP.
In 2008, I was awarded "The Beast" award from Don Mattingly, and was featured in the Super Series baseball magazine. In August of 2008, I won the National Pitch, Hit, and Run contest put on by Auquafina and Major League Baseball. This event took place at Yankee Stadium in New York City, during the MLB Home Run Derby contest, where I also shagged balls hit by the major leaguers. I competed against 650,000 other kids to win this competition. One battle I face everday though, is my battle with diabetes. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on March 15, 2005. This disease has definitely changed my life. I have to keep tight control of my blood sugars in order to compete at my highest level. During my pitch, hit, and run competitions I would check my blood sugar before each event to make sure that I was in a "good range". I also started wearing an insulin pump, so that my blood sugar was better managed. Not a day goes by that my family and I don't pray for a cure for diabetes, so that my younger sister and I can live life like children should be able to. Until a cure is found, I believe we need to be proactive. My family takes part every year in the J.D.R.F. Walk For A Cure. We gather donations and the money goes to research for finding a cure for diabetes. People tell me that there is a reason why I was chosen to have diabetes. I like to think that the reason was to get the message out there about diabetes, to let people know that they can help us to find a cure, and that I am not going to let this disease beat me and those that also have diabetes, they should not let it beat them either. I want people to know that they should control their diabetes, not let their diabetes control them.
