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May 18, 2001
Walk aids diabetes work
Cure may be near, with the help of Jewish leaders.
PAT JOHNSON REPORTER
Rishona Mackoff was diagnosed with diabetes 15 months ago, just
at the end of her Grade 12 year. She had her heart set on going
to McGill University in Montreal, but was worried that diabetes
might hamper her plans.
Newly diagnosed diabetics must go through a period of education.
Finding the right balance and learning to understand the effects
of blood sugar on the body can take some time. In Mackoff's case,
though, within two months she had mastered the regime and was confident
that she could take care of herself far from home.
"I really wanted to go to McGill," said Mackoff, who has just returned
to her North Vancouver home from her first year in Quebec. The initial
diagnosis was hard for Mackoff to accept, but she has a friend who
has had the disease since she was eight years old, so she knew it
was possible to live with diabetes and not let it prevent her from
doing what she wants.
"I find I'm basically living my life like before, but I made this
one little adjustment," she said.
The "little adjustment" involves paying close attention to food
intake, monitoring physical activity and taking about five injections
of insulin per day.
"I do carbohydrate counting when I eat," she said, which makes
it difficult for a university student to go out for a few drinks
with friends.
"I eat a lot less candy," she added, though she is allowed the
occasional sweet.
Mackoff was particularly moved last year when she asked members
of her B'nai Brith Youth Organization to sponsor her on the Walk
for a Cure diabetes fund-raising event.
She had planned to walk on her own, but when she brought her pledge
form to a meeting, she was touched that her colleagues decided to
join the walk themselves.
One of the volunteer organizers of this year's walk is Carol Hagan.
Hagan's mother and son are both diabetic and she was motivated to
organize for a cure because of the family connection, but also because
of her Jewishness.
She said it is not in the Jewish tradition to sit back and watch
the world go by. Although there are no studies to indicate that
diabetes is any more prevalent in the Jewish population, she said
many of those at the forefront of diabetes fund-raising and educational
outreach are Jewish.
Her son, Thomas, now 11, was diagnosed with diabetes at age six.
For children Thomas's age, diabetes presents especially difficult
challenges. Whereas an adult tends to have a fairly predictable
routine of eating and exercise, children do not have the same sort
of regimen. Hagan said she might give Thomas extra food because
he has physical education in the morning and he'll be running around
the school ground. But, if it rains and the class stays inside,
he may not burn off the blood sugar and he will have to have an
insulin injection. Moreover, someone as young as Thomas may not
be as attuned as someone Mackoff's age to the changes happening
in their body. When there are severe blood sugar fluctuations, Hagan
may get a call from the school and have to rush over to administer
insulin.
Unlike her mother, who developed diabetes in adulthood, the difficulties
facing children are particularly worrisome, she said. "People like
my mom make it look easy," said Hagan. "But my son's life is in
danger everyday.... People don't realize how serious the disease
is."
Fund-raising is particularly important, because there is dramatic
research being done now that makes the possibility of a cure a real
possibility, she said. But there is another reason why events like
Walk for a Cure are critical. Educating the public about diabetes
is important because many people do not know they have the disease
and, during the time between the onset and the diagnosis, they can
do extensive damage to their health, including organs like the heart,
kidneys and liver.
Internationally, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation has done an immense
amount to further the research, especially here in Canada where
insulin was discovered.
This year's Walk for a Cure takes place in several B.C. locations
this month and next. The Vancouver walk takes place Sunday, May
27, at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby's Central Park. For more information,
call the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at 320-1937 or log
on to www.jdfc.ca.
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