No obstacles get in his way

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Ian Woodward turns 18 today, and will lead Maryknoll in a volleyball match against Kamehameha. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

It's a happy and exciting day, as Woodward will try to lead the upstart Spartans (9-4) to a volleyball upset of defending state champion Kamehameha (11-1).

But to get through today, just like every day for the past 11 years, Woodward will have to prick his finger after every meal or snack and use a meter to check his blood sugar level, then he'll inject himself with the proper amount of insulin.

And to get through his schoolwork, just as he has every day for the past 10 years, Woodward will need to use his finger to closely track the words and numbers on the page and read everything at least twice before understanding it fully.

At a modest 5 feet, 9 inches tall, Woodward is Maryknoll's top outside hitter and one of the best players in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. But he's also dyslexic and diabetic.

Perhaps that is why a sprained ankle this season was not as big an obstacle for Woodward as it might have been for others.

"He's shown he doesn't need to be hampered by things," Spartans coach Blaine Gier said. "He's come through all of it, and I give him a lot of credit. He can do just as much as anybody else."

Gier said Woodward's example has been an inspiration for his team, which already faces challenges such as Maryknoll's small enrollment and lack of a gym. To practice, the Spartans either use sand courts at the beach, borrow gym space at Palama Settlement and Hawaiian Mission Academy or schedule scrimmages with teams that do have gyms.

Still, Maryknoll made history last week by defeating perennial powerhouse Punahou 15-7, 15-11, 15-8 for its first ever victory over the Buffanblu. The Spartans now are fighting for one of the ILH's two state tournament berths.

"This year's team has much better chemistry," said Woodward. "No one fights, and everybody knows their role and gets along."

Woodward especially understands his personal situation, having been diagnosed with diabetes at age 4 and classified as dyslexic in the third grade.

When he was 4, Woodward experienced constant stomach pain and was found to be diabetic, which means his pancreas does not produce enough insulin. Since then, he has needed three or four injections every day and has been doing all the injections himself since he was 7.

"My parents wanted me to learn to do it myself, so I wouldn't have to rely on them when I was out with my friends," Woodward said.

Without the injections, if his blood sugar level gets too low, he will start shaking and break into a cold sweat. Woodward said it rarely happens, but he must carry packets of sugar and small cans of apple juice around wherever he goes just in case.

"Playing sports helps, because it keeps my blood level running around the same," said Woodward, who also played soccer, baseball and football as a youth in Mililani and plans to try out for basketball next month.

His father, Russell, said sports has benefitted more than just Ian's physical health.

"Athletics is probably the one thing that saved him," Russell said. "It helps his diabetes, but it also develops his self-esteem because he's a good athlete."

The dyslexia has proven to be a bigger problem, mainly because there are no injections a dyslexic person can take to make him read faster. Woodward began struggling in school early, and even repeating the first grade did not help.

Finally, in the third grade, his parents had him tested by an education specialist who determined that Woodward had a learning disability.

"I see letters and numbers backward," Woodward said. "We had no idea what it was, and it was hard to explain to my friends because I was still little. I didn't like reading out loud because it was embarrassing."

Pat Edelen-Smith, an associate professor and reading disability specialist at the University of Hawai'i's College of Education, said dyslexia actually is a medical term but generally applies to people who have difficulty processing words and letters through vision.

"The person's (neurological) system is not working the same way as most other people's, it's not matching things the same way," Edelen-Smith said.

Once Woodward's disability was discovered, he transferred from Our Lady of Sorrows School in Wahiawa to ASSETS School, which specializes in students with disabilities or specific needs. He attended ASSETS for two years and made significant academic progress before going back to Our Lady of Sorrows, where his mother, Thalia, teaches.

Woodward now gets " 'Bs' and 'Cs,' " at Maryknoll, although the dyslexia still is a daily struggle. He said he often takes up to an hour or 90 minutes to read through material his classmates will complete in half an hour.

"My teachers will spend extra time with me, and I'll get extra tutoring," Woodward said. "On tests, I just do what I can."

That, Woodward said, is what he would suggest to others with the same challenge.

"I would tell them to seek extra help and don't give up," Woodward said. "Just keep going, and don't give up."