Jaime Ferrer has lived with a chronic illness since he was three years old. It¡¯s the only life he¡¯s known. He¡¯s been doubted, told no, and gone through countless physical and mental hurdles on his journey to becoming a Major League Baseball player.

But that Type 1 diabetes diagnosis? It¡¯s only strengthened the type of person and athlete Ferrer has become in the 18 years since.

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On Monday, Ferrer¡¯s dream was realized when the Twins selected the Florida State outfielder in the fourth round (No. 126 overall) during Day 2 of the MLB Draft. Minnesota vice president of amateur scouting Sean Johnson said the club had its eyes on Ferrer since high school.

Ferrer joined Khadim Diaw (MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 163 prospect) and Derek Bender (No. 189) as notable Day 2 selections. Ferrer has not just prohibited Type 1 diabetes from slowing him down, but he¡¯s turned the diagnosis into a positive -- joining Tandem¡¯s ambassador program and attending events to speak with children going through the same struggles he went through as a child.

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Yes, the Twins are getting an outfielder that never hit below .317 in his three years as a Seminole in Ferrer, who also notched a career-best 22 homers, 67 RBIs and had a 1.083 OPS in 63 games this season. But they¡¯re also gaining a person who¡¯s made it his mission to make a difference in the world.

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¡°Recently, I was in Orlando at a conference called, ¡°Friends for Life with CWD [Children with Diabetes],¡± and we had an event that was a sports day. ¡­ Kids would come up to me and either them or their families would ask me how I dealt with this [or that],¡± Ferrer said. ¡°And seeing their faces light up whenever I said I was diagnosed at three and I played college baseball. ¡­ You hear people tell you no and that you can¡¯t do this because you have Type 1 diabetes ¡­ So why not inspire as many people as I can?¡±

¡°I¡¯m super proud of being a Type 1 athlete, and it¡¯s something that I¡¯ll never shy away from talking about or showing off my insulin pump because it¡¯s who I am and it¡¯s something that I¡¯ve had to deal with my entire life.¡±

It¡¯s something that Ferrer¡¯s family has had to deal with all these years as well. His mother, Mila, called it a ¡°family disease,¡± changing the responsibilities of his brothers or the way the family operated, even little things such as ¡°snack times,¡± when their kids were little, to cater to Jaime¡¯s needs without drawing attention to its main purpose.

On Monday, Ferrer celebrated his Draft call with his brothers and family, hugging his mother the moment his name was announced.

¡°I still see the three-year-old that was in that hospital bed, and now thinking, ¡®Oh my God, now he¡¯s a professional athlete,¡¯¡± Mila Ferrer said. ¡°That¡¯s what he¡¯s been working towards his whole life.

¡°I think it¡¯s been one of the happiest days to see his dream becoming a reality. And it¡¯s actually a family dream. Everyone was like, ¡®Oh my God, we did it¡¯ because we have been his number one supporters since Day One. We¡¯re extremely excited and proud of him.¡±

Jaime said he will never forget the moment with his family, and that he still calls his parents to talk about what he is eating and when.

But for baseball, it¡¯s become more manageable. When Ferrer was little, he said he would have to stop what he was doing and check his blood sugar up to 20 times a day. Technology has simplified that process, but it¡¯s still something he has to constantly monitor.

Ferrer¡¯s goal now is to help others and become a role model. His chats with children after baseball games, going to conferences and being vocal about his diagnosis -- that¡¯s all part of Ferrer¡¯s plan to be a positive role model. And part of that plan, according to Ferrer, was inspired by Sam Fuld, a former Twin and current Phillies general manager who has Type 1 diabetes.

¡°Whenever I was growing up, I was always watching the sport I was playing at the time and trying to find somebody that had Type 1 diabetes so I could relate to them,¡± Ferrer said. ¡°Now that I¡¯m in that position, and I can reach a bunch of people with social media, it¡¯s unreal what you can do.

¡°It takes me 30 seconds to answer a DM, which could change a person¡¯s life. If you have the opportunity, then why not do it?¡±

And if Ferrer can do that, there¡¯s no reason not to believe he can¡¯t accomplish his dream with the Twins.

¡°The Draft is a great step, and it¡¯s an amazing day and all that, but it¡¯s not the end of the road,¡± Ferrer said. ¡°The end of the road is playing a 10-15 year career in the big leagues and making an impact on our organization and helping them win a championship.

¡°The opportunity I¡¯ve been provided, I¡¯m going to do the best with it and take it from there.¡±