"Juvenile Diabetes - One Family's Struggle"

Difficult, life threatening, ever present, controlling, burdening…these are words used by diabetes patients to describe the disease that controls their lives. According to the National Health Institute 850,000 - 1.7 million Americans are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Every year that number increases by 30,000. Type 2 diabetes which is far more prevalent affects 16 million Americans. It is under diagnosed, and there is thought to be millions more who do not know they are affected by the disease.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects all the organs and makes the individual afflicted dependent upon insulin injections for survival. Untreated, type 1 diabetes can lead to blindness, nerve damage and death. The disease is not a result of poor diet as many people think, but is rather attributed to environmental, viral and genetic sources. Those with type 1 diabetes are reliant upon multiple daily insulin checks and multiple daily insulin injections or infusions. It is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year challenge.

Type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed in adulthood, but an increasing obesity rate among the American population is leading to onset in children and young adults. Those with type 2 diabetes do produce the insulin the body needs, but the body does not use that insulin correctly. Often a change of diet and exercise can help control this form of diabetes.

Today's speakers, Tom and Ashley Shadoan, know more about diabetes than they ever hoped to know. In July of last year, their son, Parker, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Up until then, Parker was a very healthy and active 10-year-old. There is no history of diabetes in the family, and when Parker started showing signs of type 1 diabetes such as an increase in fluid intake, sore throat and fatigue, the family assumed like many of us would that Parker simply had a bug. When that bug failed to go away a few days later, they took him to his family physician who ran some tests. Parker's blood sugar level was 600 - much higher than a typical average of 90 - 120. The family was immediately sent to Vanderbilt for emergency treatment.

Ashley described this experience as nothing short of life altering. They arrived at Vanderbilt knowing nothing about diabetes and left 24 hours later with a lifetime of knowledge. From that day on Parker received 4 -5 insulin injections per day, checked his blood sugar with a finger prick 7 - 8 times a day around the clock. The family suddenly found themselves having to count his carbohydrate intake and convert from the sum of his carbohydrates how much insulin was needed to be injected to offset that intake.

Parker, who had never missed a day of school in his five years in the Paducah City School system, missed the first thirty days of his 5th grade year. He called home daily fearful of his blood sugar readings. Today, thanks to the use of an OmniPump Insulin Management System, Parker feels 85% better and has had no absences from school. His blood sugar is more stable, and he feels better. Unfortunately since there is no cure for type 1 diabetes, Parker is still subject to 5 - 7 blood sugar checks per day, he still counts his carbohydrates and he still injects insulin on a daily basis. Parker is currently part of a control group in a Yale study devoted to type 1 diabetes. The study is testing the effectiveness of a drug to treat juvenile diabetes. The family travels to New Haven, Connecticut every six months in order to provide research to assist others affected by the disease.

The family also takes part in a program called TrialNet. This is a program dedicated to the study, prevention, and treatment of type 1 diabetes. Family members of type 1 patients are tested yearly, free of charge, in order to detect type 1 diabetes before the onset. If the test is positive, the patient can receive insulin tablets to prevent the onset of diabetes. The Shadoan family has been tested, and neither Ashley, Tom nor their two daughters have tested positive. They will continue to receive this test annually. Tom encourages anyone directly related to a person with type 1 diabetes to undergo this annual test.

In the winter of 2007/2008, the Shadoan family joined Hot Shots, an area support group for children with diabetes. Aside from providing support for their children, the group also provided support for one another. The group, seeking community involvement, decided to start a regional walk to raise money for a cure for diabetes. The First Four Rivers Walk to Cure Diabetes will be held Saturday, April 25, 2009 at Noble Park. The group aims to raise awareness of diabetes and raise $50,000 for diabetes research. All individuals are encouraged to attend. Sponsorship opportunities ranging from $250 to $5000 are available for businesses who would like to contribute. For more information on attending or contributing, please visit the JDRF website or contact Tom and Ashley Shadoan at (270) 534-0667.