Kaitlyn Hughes | features editor

In second grade, Duquesne University junior Hannah Litke became sick with strep throat — but she never recovered.

Weeks had gone by of Hannah feeling tired and constantly trying to quench her thirst by drinking more water than usual. Finally, Hannah’s second grade teacher, Beth Rogers, called home to express concern for her.

After trips to the pediatrician and a full blood panel, Hannah and her family were told she had Type 1 diabetes.

With Type 1 diabetes, Hannah’s blood sugar fluctuates throughout the day. When her blood sugar is low she experiences nausea, dizziness and “jello legs,” where her legs become wobbly. When Hannah has high blood sugar she becomes fatigued.

Despite the waves of tiredness and nausea, and constantly checking her blood sugar levels, the diagnosis never stopped Hannah from accomplishing her goals.

“Throughout my life, I’ve just grabbed diabetes by the hand and said, ‘Okay, come on. We’re going to go do this,’” Hannah said.

Now, as an early-education major Hannah created “You Don’t Look Sick: The College Edition,” a podcast to share the stories of people with disabilities, which she created for an Honors College fellowship project.

Before Rogers called them on a Friday afternoon, Hannah’s parents were debating on waiting to take her to the doctors again.

But when Hannah’s parents got the results for the blood test, they were told to take her to the emergency room immediately because of her high blood sugar.

“Who knows what would have happened over the weekend,” said Melissa Litke, Hannah’s mom.Hannah spent about 12 hours in the intensive care unit and three days in the hospital. She recalled having to get an IV inserted into her arm — she hates needles to this day.

During their time in the hospital, Hannah and her family were educated on the ins and outs of navigating Type 1 diabetes. A fond memory for them is when Hannah’s parents had to give each other insulin shots.

“She can do anything that any other kid can do except make insulin,” Melissa said.

When she was first diagnosed, Hannah had to give herself insulin shots throughout the day. Now, she has an insulin pump that stays in for up to three days.

“We would carb her up like she was about to run a marathon when she was taking standardized tests,” Melissa said.

If they didn’t do this, the long hours spent taking the test would cause Hannah to crash.

The biggest challenge for Hannah is that there are no days off when it comes to her diabetes.

“There are definitely times where I can be with my friends, and I’m not thinking about it,” Hannah said. “And then, there are other times where it feels like it steals the moment from me.”

Having a community who understands her is what helps Hannah to cope.

Upon returning to the classroom, Rogers ensured that Hannah felt welcomed and knew she was still an important part of the class.

“She’s a huge reason why I decided to become a teacher,” Hannah said. “I want every kid to feel that same [sense of] welcome in my classroom.”

Hannah also has friends who know how to care for depending on whether she has high or low blood sugar.

Now, Hannah gives this support to others through her podcast. 

The first idea for the project came while taking an Oxford tutorial with Emad Mirmotahari, associate professor of English, for the Honors College.

The first day Mirmotahari met Hannah she handed him a card with her photo and a short bio on it. It detailed what Type 1 diabetes entailed, and why she would need to check her phone or eat during class.

“She didn’t make a fuss about it,” he said. “It seemed as if she had it all mapped out and knew how to handle it.”

Mirmotahari recognized that Hannah’s project could impact others apart from the classroom.

“It will be important to a lot of people, even outside of the group that has her specific health condition,” he said.

The overall goal of her podcast is for listeners to take away the message that through the hard days they are not alone. No matter what they are going through.

“I love sharing [my experience] with people because when I was diagnosed my parents didn’t know the signs and symptoms, so there’s a big push to get the signs and symptoms out there,” Hannah said.