Diabetic kicker Luke Van Ginkel's dog Astro helps him on and off the field

Upland (Calif.) senior kicker Luke Van Ginkel was about 8 when he attended the famed Paul Newman-founded Painted Turtle Camp for children with life-threatening and chronic illness.

Luke, the fourth of five boys in the Van Ginkel family, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 6 and the camp emphasized that his future was limitless. Just as it was for celebrities and athletes who shared his ailment before him, such as Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe, Jay Cutler, Brandon Morrow, Mary Tyler Moore and Halle Berry.

"I remember thinking that nothing would hold me back," he said. "I remember looking at those pictures of famous people and thinking I wanted to be a great, famous, strong athlete myself."



The 18-year-old is definitely on track — his big right leg has the attention of college coaches.

"He's kicked a 75-yard field goal in practice and we've measured kickoffs as far as 85 yards with a 4.1-second hang time," said his dad and Upland's kicking coach Pete Van Ginkel.

Luke is also likely America's strongest kicker — in fact, he's a competitive power lifter. He's bench-pressed 405 pounds and pumped out 26 reps at 225 pounds.

"That's more than a lot of linemen at those NFL combines," his dad said.

View photo gallery of Luke and his dog Astro from last Friday's home game against Chino Hills 

But what has garnered Luke a large degree of fame in the last month isn't his Herculean feats of iron or long-ball kicking prowess, but rather his workout partner.



Astro, a 3-year-old yellow lab, is a diabetic service dog that, quite remarkably, monitors Luke's blood sugar by sheer scent. Luke may have ample biceps, but it pales in comparison to Astro's super snout.

"I've been with him since he was a pup and it still amazes me what he can do," Luke said. {PAGEBREAK}"We almost lost him" Like a gift from the heavens or the North Pole, Astro arrived at the airport in a crate when just 2-months old. Luke and the wonder pooch immediately connected.

"He was just so cute and lovable and cuddly right from the start," Luke said. "We've been best friends ever since."

Astro is Luke's right-hand dog just about everywhere he goes — to bed, school, workouts and even the football field.

During games, Luke's mom Lori handles Astro on a leash. During practice time, Astro has more freedom and even retrieves Luke's kicking tee.

"There's not much Astro can't do," Luke said.



As a pup, Astro received samples of Luke's saliva when his blood sugar was too high or too low. When Astro sniffs that smell now, he alerts Luke by bowing or pulling on a red toy that the thick 6-foot, 200-pound blonde kicker usually carries with him.

"At this point in my life, I can largely keep myself safe," Luke said. "But Astro is like a line of defense."

Astro wasn't around when Luke was in the seventh grade and spent the weekend at a friend's while celebrating a birthday.

"We were doing a bunch of physical stuff all day and during the night my blood sugar dropped way down," Luke said. "Waaay down."

His pancreas wasn't producing enough insulin. There was not enough glucose to enter cells and produce energy. Luke had a seizure — a serious one.

After a 911 call, he was rushed to emergency at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was induced into a coma.



"We almost lost him," his father Peter Van Ginkel said.

"I have a vague memory of gaining consciousness during the seizure and trying to rip the oxygen tubes out of my throat and ripping the I.V. out of my arms," Luke said. "My mom told me that I got very combative and they had to get about four doctors to try to hold me down so they could strap me down to the bed."

Three days later, Luke awoke and was extremely sore.

"It was the most sore I've ever been in my entire life," Luke said. "It was all those convulsions trying to stay alive. It was all like a weird dream."

Within a week of the episode, Luke went to a USC football camp and won the kicking competition.

"Amazing," Peter said. {PAGEBREAK}Loves to hit The traumatic event led to changes in Luke's outlook and a more aggressive attention to detail in tackling and monitoring his diabetes. More research led them to Astro, one of approximately 30,000 diabetic service dogs in the country.



Adding to Luke's refocus on health was weight lifting. His brother Jake was a three-time All-American kicker at Upland and the state record holder for field goals with 39 (Westlake senior Kevin Robledo broke that mark with No. 40 last week).

Jake, who kicked field goals of 57 and 58 yards as a freshman, was Luke's kicking idol. Being a competitive sort, younger brother needed an extra edge for kicking distance. So he hit the gym — hard.

"Plus I was called up to varsity late as a freshman and those guys were a lot bigger than me," Luke said. "I started just lifting more for body building stuff, but by my junior year I knew I needed more strength so I went to power lifting."

Beyond winning at least a couple of state power lifting competitions in the bench press, the activity also reminded Luke to keep his blood sugar at just the right levels.

"If you go too low, you lose your muscle," he said.

On the field, Luke made 7-of-11 field goals as a junior and has made his only attempt this season, a 30-yarder. He's also the team's punter and — his strength — and he also kicks off. Of his 181 career kickoffs, 112 have been touchbacks, which is both impressive and frustrating for Luke.



A former linebacker, he loves to tackle and has recorded eight of them in his career, one which forced a fumble against perennial national power Centennial (Corona).

It's safe to say returners aren't expecting the kicker or punter to be one of Upland's hardest hitters, but that's the case for one of California's top teams. Upland has gone 38-8 in the four years Luke has been on varsity. The Highlanders are 5-2 and are No. 17 in the state and 76th in the country according to the MaxPreps Computer Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard.

Kickers are sometimes an afterthought on football teams. But with Luke — and Astro — walking the sideline and leading special teams, Upland always feels secure.

And, a little fuzzy.

"I think all kickers at times might feel a little left out or not appreciated," Luke said. "But I think the guys know that kicking and punting is a big part of the big picture and it can decide the outcome of a game."

Luke never loses sight of what a vital role Astro plays in his life.



"There are few living things I care more about in this world than him," Luke said. "He's with me no matter where I go."