Chiefs’ Super Bowl TE has Type 1 diabetes. Here are the kids he’s inspired
Noah Gray pulled out his cell phone, raising it to eye level before too many around him could see.
It was the only option Gray could think of. This was his Intro to Political Science class, and the Duke University freshman could not distinguish the words a few feet in front of him.
He snapped a photo of the board on his phone, zooming in on the picture so that he could see the same thing as his classmates.
“It was pretty tough,” Gray says now. “I’m not going to lie.”
When Gray woke up one January morning in 2018, his sight had faded. Other issues soon followed.
He lost weight. He developed acne across his body. No matter how often he’d gone before, he needed to use the bathroom again.
Blood tests soon confirmed the cause: Gray was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 18.
The diagnosis led to uncertainty, and some fear. How was his life about to change? Would he be able to continue his football career?
Five years later, Gray is here at the Super Bowl. He’s in his second year as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, beaming at a media table at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale while speaking about how blessed he is.
And also looking to deliver a message of hope.
“If you want to be a professional football player, a professional baseball player, or you want to be the best songwriter, singer in the world, nothing’s really holding you back,” Gray says, “as long as you continue to work hard in managing your diabetes.”
It’s a lesson Gray has only learned through both time and experience.
With one community not only directing his path through the early days of his disease ... but also continuing to shape his life’s mission in the years since.
An unlikely beginning
Debbie Peele’s son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 10 years ago, and she became frustrated when trying to find online resources for how to manage it while still helping him be a normal athlete.
Her husband offered a suggestion: Why don’t you start an online forum like that yourself?
“I was scared to death,” Debbie Peele said.
The Pinehurst, North Carolina native pushed ahead with the idea anyway.
She created the Facebook group, “Proud parents of athletes with Type 1 diabetes,” while intentionally making sure that the word “athletes” came first in the title. The goal was to create a place where families could share ideas, whether it was advice on how to keep an insulin pump on or best practices for dealing with adrenaline highs.
The group only grew from there. It’s now up to 3,600 members who share pictures and draw inspiration while dealing with a condition that affects 1.45 million people in the U.S.
In January 2018, Meagan Gray — Noah’s mother — joined the community. She asked questions like others, learning more about the condition that Peele says is often misunderstood and carries an unnecessary stigma.
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the pancreas, which controls blood-sugar levels, stops producing insulin. There is no known cause, and Type 1 differs from the more common Type 2 because it cannot be prevented.
There is no known cure, and it also is not reversible. Once diagnosed, the current path to managing the disease is monitoring diet while administering insulin when blood-sugar levels rise.
Peele, a self-proclaimed Duke football fan, has seen a progression with the Gray family in the years since they joined the online group.
Meagan started with questions. Then soon became a resource for others. And as Noah’s football career kept advancing — from Duke to 2021 fifth-round draft pick of the Chiefs — he quickly became one of the page’s biggest celebrities.
“It’s just great for these younger athletes, because kids don’t want to be different. They don’t want to stand out like that,” Peele said. “At 13, 14, other kids are watching you prick your finger, like, ‘What are you doing?’ And so when they see, athletes like Noah and college kids doing this, they’re like, ‘OK, he’s cool and he’s pricking his finger. He’s taking care of himself.’”
The forum, over the last few years, has begun to serve a different purpose for Noah, as well.
While allowing him to interact with his biggest fans in the world.
A chance to meet
Katie Martin jokes that she and her son, 14-year-old Aiden Zepeda, will be cheering for Gray on Sunday just down the street from State Farm Stadium.
They live in Buckeye, Arizona now — 30 miles southwest of this year’s Super Bowl site — but have maintained their Chiefs fandom after spending some earlier years in the Midwest.
“Missouri is a second home for us,” Martin said of Aiden’s Chiefs devotion. “Plus, the kid knows what’s good for him.”
Zepeda, who has played football since age 5, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 12. Martin immediately found Peele’s Facebook support group, then began researching T1D athletes to show to her son.
Gray’s name was one of the first to appear. He was a rookie with the Chiefs then, and Martin realized Gray’s mother also was part of the Facebook support group she’d joined.
Martin created immediate links to the Chiefs and Gray. The month after Zepeda’s diagnosis, she bought tickets for the Arizona-Kansas City preseason game in Glendale. She also had customized shirts made with Gray’s name, number and the symbol “G >˄˅,” the latter standing for, “God is greater than the highs and lows” — a phrase often used among people with diabetes.
“Every time he would do something awesome, I wanted to yell, ‘Noah Gray! I know him!’” Martin said. “But I didn’t know him. I was in the same social media group as his mom.”
Gray remained a source of encouragement for Zepeda, who plays left tackle for the West Valley Cougars and already stands just a half-inch shorter than Gray at 6-foot-2.
Martin’s Christmas gift to Zepeda this season was tickets to the Chiefs’ home games on Dec. 24 versus Seattle and Jan. 1 against Denver. The two left Arizona in a rental car on Dec. 21, driving from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. the next day — no hotels — to reach their Missouri destination just ahead of a snowstorm.
On a negative-2-degree-wind-chill Christmas Eve in KC, Martin and Zepeda cheered for Gray from row 4. A week later, after watching KC beat Denver on New Year’s Day, Martin shared photos of Gray with the “Athletes with diabetes” Facebook community.
Gray’s mother sent Martin a direct message: Are you still around? Noah would love to meet Aiden.
Martin started the rental car and headed for Maggiano’s Restaurant in Overland Park, about a half-hour away. Once they arrived, Gray stepped outside the doors following his postgame dinner with his wife, shaking Zepeda’s hand before posing for a photo.
“It was probably the first time,” Martin said, “my son hasn’t completely disliked having Type 1 diabetes.”
The two talked about football. That day’s win. Life. Martin stood a few feet away, watching as Gray spoke about the game with Zepeda like he was a longtime friend.
The two parted a short time later, with Martin saying the meet-up only reinforced what she hoped her son would continue to see.
A normal, healthy and happy life remains possible with Type 1 diabetes — Gray being the example.
“Noah just stood there, humbly, and made some kid’s whole year,” Martin said. “All because he had something in common.”
‘He’s the highlight of our football now’
Lori Jee says her 12-year-old son Kevin still has the Duke posters in his bedroom.
Kevin says he has about 10 Noah Gray autographs. Oh, and a signed helmet. And one of his footballs too.
“We would go to all the games,” Lori said, “and he just hung on every move that Noah made.”
There was good reason for that. Kevin has long lived with Type 1 diabetes after being diagnosed at 4 years old. The Cary, N.C. family, found a fast friend in Gray once he was diagnosed in 2018, as he agreed to meet Kevin at one of his birthday parties following a Duke football game. Gray talked with Kevin during other fan-day events, too.
The bond endured as Gray transitioned to the NFL. Kevin’s dad, Stuart — an airline pilot for United — has chartered three Chiefs football flights in the past two seasons. Each time, he’s made sure to find Gray, who has introduced him to some other Chiefs players.
Gray always asks about Kevin by name. He previously gave Kevin his cell number in case he needed it, and often, Stuart will present Gray with a picture that Kevin has made for him — one that Gray always says he plans to put on his refrigerator.
“He’s the highlight,” Lori said, “of our football now.”
Members of the North Carolina family have quickly become Chiefs fans. They hosted an AFC Championship Game party and plan to watch Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“Hopefully,” Kevin said Wednesday, “Patrick Mahomes’ ankle does a little bit better.”
Kevin, who plays competitive baseball and swims but is not quite old enough yet for football, hasn’t given up on cheering for Gray with his new team.
There was no better indication of that than ahead of last year’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. Lori had looked for a Chiefs Noah Gray jersey for Kevin that week, but had yet to find one in his size.
A few minutes before the game, Kevin emerged from his bedroom with a new wardrobe. He was wearing his only red shirt — inside out — with a few accessories added for good measure.
In blue carpenter’s tape, he’d constructed a makeshift “83” on the back. And fastened with scotch tape to the top, he’d crafted a handmade rectangle to complete his look.
“Gray,” the nameplate read.
Kevin made his way to his customary spot in front of the TV.
And kept the good-luck charm on for the duration of KC’s win in overtime.
Motivation to start
Logan Briscese sent the video message without expecting a response.
Briscese, now 9, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in April 2020. So when he heard that the Chiefs’ Noah Gray was answering questions during an American Diabetes Association “Imagine Camp” video chat last summer, he recorded himself in a George Kittle 49ers jersey, asking Gray about the diabetes devices he wears while playing football.
Logan and his mother, Lillian, missed Gray answering the questions that day but returned to their Modesto, California home to a surprise that evening.
Gray had responded to Logan’s question. Not only that, he replied directly to him on Instagram, ending the message with, “Good luck with everything bro and continue being great!”
Logan printed it off that night. And almost a year later — beside a poster of The Flash and next to a San Francisco 49ers banner — the message from Gray remains pinned above his bed.
Lillian said Gray’s gesture came at a critical time. When Logan was first diagnosed, the family was devastated. So much was already being taken away from him. Would he still be able to participate in activities enjoyed by other kids?
“He’s always loved sports,” Lillian said of Logan. “And then for him to see he can still chase that dream with sports, and it’s like a big motivation for him and just a positive thing for him to see the other NFL players doing it.”
Lillian shared Logan’s exchange with Gray in the Facebook group. A short time later, Gray’s mother shared the interaction from her end, saying Noah had already talked to her about his back-and-forth with Logan.
Three weeks later, Logan saw Gray in person. The family joined some friends — Chiefs fans, in fact — for a KC-San Francisco preseason game on Aug. 14, 2021 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Lillian says the family will be watching Gray in the Super Bowl, slightly disappointed that their 49ers didn’t quite get there, too.
Gray continues to have a lasting impact. Just a week ago, Lillian completed her local sign-up process.
For the first time, her 9-year-old son will be playing football in the spring.
A new outlook on life
Gray doesn’t like to complain about what he goes through with his Type 1 diabetes. Many have it worse. And almost everyone he meets with the condition has had it longer than him.
The reality is that he must still work harder than most of his teammates to be prepared to practice and play.
Gray uses insulin-pump therapy and also has a continuous glucose monitor. That requires attachments to his body on his lower back and side, though he says they don’t restrict his movements or affect him during games.
He always has to plan his meals and snacks, though, saying “when I get away from my routine, it makes my blood sugar go funky.” He has insulin ready in case his levels get too high and Gatorade energy chews around in case he starts to experience a “low” — a quick sugar boost helps him avoid the dizziness and fatigue that can sometimes follow such an event.
Chiefs tight ends coach Tom Melvin said he and Gray went over his rituals when Gray first arrived in KC. Trainers monitor Gray closely, though Melvin reports the tight end’s work to maintain his blood sugars has been “phenomenal,” saying he isn’t allowed any cheat-food days like many of his teammates and coaches.
“But his incentive is a little different than the rest of us,” Melvin said. “He’s got definitely a life-and-death part of this going.”
With help from improving technology, Gray is part of an expanding group of players with Type 1 diabetes in the NFL. That includes five others — Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, Dolphins long-snapper Blake Ferguson, Jaguars linebacker Chad Muma, Chargers receiver DeAndre Carter and Giants defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux — whose teams participated in this year’s playoffs.
Gray, for his part, no longer views his condition as a detriment. He’s honest during online videos for others with Type 1 diabetes about how managing things can feel like a day-in, day-out struggle. He’s admitted it’s been hard on him, and that he was discouraged when he was first diagnosed.
Through it all, he’s learned to see the world differently. Type 1 diabetes might be a part of him now.
But he won’t let it control who he becomes.
“I think God’s purpose ... He really blessed me with the disease because He wants me to help others,” Gray said. “Trying to give as much as I can to other people has been something after I was diagnosed, that was super-important to me.”
His biggest fans will be watching this week. They’ll be in Cary, North Carolina and Modesto, California, and just down the street in Buckeye, as well.
They’re not only the ones that Gray inspires.
They’re the ones that lift him up.
“Some of those stories that I hear back from the kids, it really gives me a lot of hope and courage,” Gray said. “It really makes me love what I do.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2023 at 6:30 AM.
