At first, Andrew Ferry thought it was just a cold. And then his tongue turned white, his muscles cramped up and his thirst became unquenchable.

As a walk-on freshman with the Valparaiso University men's basketball team, Ferry isn't just fighting for playing time. He's constantly fighting a disease that affects 23.6 million Americans, or nearly 8 percent of the population.

Ferry was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 16. The bad news came smack dab in the middle of basketball season -- Jan. 1, 2006.

But Ferry, then a sophomore at Milwaukee Lutheran, didn't fret. He didn't pout. And he certainly didn't quit. He suited up -- a day after being diagnosed.

That season, Ferry led the Red Knights to within a game of state. His senior year, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound sharpshooter averaged 18.5 points per game and sunk a school-record 74 3-pointers.

And here he is at VU, after turning down several Division II offers, preparing to take the next step in a career that not even diabetes could derail.

"I don't think I feel sorry for myself," Ferry said. "I've tried to embrace it and tried to use it to my advantage. I think that's all you can do, try to help other people with it, be kind of a role model for others. You can't let it bring you down."

Ferry never does. He and his new VU teammates and coaching staff participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes last Sunday at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville. The event helped raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The walk was nothing new for Ferry, who was a youth ambassador for the American Diabetes Association in high school and even filmed a commercial with Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster Bill Schroeder to promote a fundraising event.

"When I first learned about it, I realized it was serious," Ferry said of his diagnosis. "I realized how it was gonna shape the rest of my life."

In high school, Ferry gave himself shots to control his blood sugar. Last March, he switched to a wireless pump, which is programmed to feed him insulin throughout the day.

In order to make the switch, Ferry had to chart what he ate and how much insulin he gave himself for two weeks. But the real burden was having to wake himself up every two hours to check his blood sugar.

"That was not a fun two weeks," Ferry said.

Even with the wireless pump, which he wears on his stomach at all times -- even while playing -- Ferry still has to prick his finger 10-15 times daily to check his blood sugar, still has to count his carbohydrates every meal, still has to be more responsible than your average college freshman.

"I wouldn't say it makes (basketball) more difficult," Ferry said. "It just means you have to be more alert to what's going on with your body and just more disciplined."

And more determined.

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at david.robb@nwitimes.com.