Women’s Rugby
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Carolyn Williams, like her StFX rugby team, continues to remain undefeated this season.
The Ottawa native is in her third year of successfully striking a balance between the demands of her nursing program, and playing forward for X-Women rugby team, and according to her teammates, you would never know she has been battling illness almost her entire life.
She never uses it as an excuse, If somebody had never told me, I would never have known.
Mike Cavanagh - Head Coach of the X-Women
Williams, 20, otherwise known affectionately as ‘Red’ for her notably red hair, was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of two, and relies on an insulin pump that is connected to her body to help manage her blood sugar levels around the clock.
“I am kind of thankful that I got it at the age of two because I’ve grown up not knowing anything different, so it’s like diabetes is normal to me,” Williams says. “But it definitely is difficult to manage being away from home...it’s hard because my parents were always there for me.”
Ten years after being diagnosed with diabetes, Williams learned she had an autoimmune disease called membranous nephropathy, which targets the kidneys. In order to treat the disease she was put on steroids for six months, but the treatment failed, forcing her to go through eight months of chemotherapy.
Williams said the membranous nephropathy is currently in remission, but her kidneys can start to fail at any time.
I go get my kidneys checked every six months, and I go get my diabetes checked about every three to four months, I’ll be doing that for the rest of my life.
Carolyn Williams
One of the reasons Williams says she decided to enroll in a nursing program was so she can “give back to the community.” She attributes her decision to the nurses at the hospital she met growing up, and the positive impact they had on her.
Williams grew up playing hockey most of her life, but she notes a friend introduced her to rugby in high school and she was drawn to the physicality of the sport.
Before beginning her post-secondary education, Williams says she visited StFX for a recruit trip for hockey, but ultimately decided rugby was her true calling and has never looked back since.
Last year when we won our national championship, she ended up playing a really pivotal role in our scrum, (She) stepped up to a much more mature level and I found this year her maturity has come out immensely.
Tara Sutherland - Assistant coach & Head Athletic Therapist for the X-Women
Williams admits she has had to sit out a number of different rugby practices or games in the past when her blood sugar level was too low, because it could trigger a seizure.
“I try and be as positive as I can because there is nothing I can really do about it,” she says. “But it is hard because it’s almost like sitting out with an injury. But I know that I am going to have it for the rest of my life.”
Although the X-Women are aware of her health, the team says seeing how much she excels on and off the field they would have never known she is actively having to manage it.
“Red doesn’t show her struggles, We’re all aware of it – the team, we’re all aware that she’s diabetic and what she’s been through. But she doesn’t show it, she doesn’t complain about it, she’s all business.
Anna Horner
Williams reflected on her first year of post-secondary and remembers “just being stressed out.” She recalls the struggles of being away from her family, trying to manage her diabetes and how it had a negative impact on her rugby and performance in university.
“I knew I needed to grow up and learn how to manage my diabetes and health on my own,” she says.
She also excels in the university's athletic leadership academy, a program that teaches selected athletes how to be leaders in their respective sport. Williams credits the confidence she has found to manage her health, school and rugby to the friendships she had made at StFX and the community.
Since 2010, the X-Women have had a history of winning the national title in only even-numbered years, and currently stand as the defending U SPORTS champions after capturing their fifth title last season.
This year, the team is inspired to break the pattern, and are hoping to follow their slogan for the year of “evening out the odds.”
Just like Williams continues to do.
Joti Grewal is a Master of Journalism student at Ryerson University. Her interest in journalism stems from her passion to communicate and connect with people through storytelling. Prior to moving to Toronto, Joti earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. While at UBC, Joti wrote for the campus newspaper The Ubyssey, primarily covering men’s and women’s rugby.