Notre Dame Cheerleader balances game days and Type 1 Diabetes

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Toughness and tradition run deep inside the "House That Rockne Built" from the field to the stands, and that goes beyond the sidelines.

For one team leader, his game day routine includes an invisible battle of his own.

Notre Dame senior cheerleader Nick Hahne balances more than just stunts and schoolwork. He also manages Type 1 Diabetes.

“I really think… my biggest thought is just not to drop her,” Hahne joked after practice ahead of the Boise State game.

From keeping track of counts to managing his blood sugar, it’s all about the numbers for Hahne, both as a cheerleader and as a double major in finance and political science.

A skill he developed at just 10 years old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

“I kind of like had the misconception that I was maybe a little bit unhealthy or like didn’t manage my life properly and that’s why I had diabetes and that’s not necessarily the story of Type 1 diabetes at all,” he said.

Hahne discovered his love for cheerleading nearly a decade later when he started his freshman year at Notre Dame.

“They gave me a QR code like you have to join the cheer team. This was totally up your alley. I was like hey, 'I’ve never done it before but maybe this is my new college thing that I should try out.' I walked in the gym for fall tryouts and was given a spot on the team,” Hahne recalled.

Now four years later, Hahne wears an insulin pump beneath the blue and gold.

“Little road bumps that you have to continually overcome and honestly, I feel like I’m just more prepared for academics, athletics, everything I do here at Notre Dame because I always have to prepare with diabetes,” he said.

As the Fighting Irish prepare for game days, he’s not alone. Two of his teammates also live with Type 1 Diabetes.

“I’ll take an apple juice break a lot during practice,” he added. “But it’s honestly a great apple juice and I don’t mind it.”

For Hahne, managing diabetes is just part of his routine and something he’s come to see as a strength, not a setback.

“It’s definitely something that I have to manage every day and prepare for, but it’s something that I’ve embraced and I kind of use as a blessing in disguise now,” he said.

Now, he’s leading not just the crowd and his teammates, but also the next generation of athletes facing invisible battles of their own.

“You know, my advice is to prepare, and then to execute on the opportunities that you’ve been given.”