Nov. 13, 2023
By Ava Gonzalez
Staff Writer
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, which is a time to promote understanding and raise awareness about common misconceptions relating to diabetes. It coincides with World Diabetes Day, which is recognized every year on Nov. 14 to celebrate the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin with Charles Best in 1922.
Students can participate in Diabetes Awareness Month by donating, educating themselves, fundraising, hanging posters, participating in walks, posting on social media and wearing blue.
Senior Nathalia Barillas, whose grandpa has diabetes, said the LHS community can be more supportive of students with diabetes throughout the school year.
“[LHS] can provide staff and teachers [training on how to treat diabetes] to ensure a safe and supportive environment,” Barillas said. “They can also have accommodations like to check sugar levels during class or to let [those with diabetes] have snacks in class.”
Diabetes is a disease when one’s blood sugar, or blood glucose, is too elevated. The human body is meant to make glucose as a source of energy. Glucose also comes from the food and nutrients one’s body absorbs. The pancreas then produces the hormone insulin to ensure glucose is broken down and used for energy. The bodies of those who suffer from diabetes are inefficient at producing insulin or do not use insulin properly. This causes glucose to remain in one’s bloodstream rather than navigating its way to one’s cells.
She said a lot of people are ill-informed when it comes to diabetes.
“A misconception I heard was that [people with diabetes] can’t enjoy sweets or sugary foods at all. They just have to manage it, and they’ll be okay. Another [misconception] is that only older adults get diabetes. It can affect people of all ages,” Barillas said.
She said it is important to be compassionate and considerate of people with diabetes and other medical needs by not only accepting but accommodating them.
“I can help by learning about their specific needs, encouraging a healthy lifestyle and being a source of emotional support,” Barillas said.
INFOGRAPHIC BY AVA GONZALEZ SOURCES: American Diabetes Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
School nurse Mrs. Schlameuss said she has firsthand experience with diabetic patients as she has taught at hospitals about diet, administering insulin and monitoring blood work. She said she also has a friend whose 12-year-old daughter has type 1 diabetes.
Schlameuss said type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease when the body does not produce insulin.
“A lot of people get it somewhere around puberty, but it can happen before five years old. I’ve known a couple of people that are in the first [and] second grade with it,” Schlameuss said.
She said type 2 diabetes develops later in life due to external factors.
“[Type 2] is due to lifestyle and poor diet and age, and that usually comes with obesity a lot of the time and poor dietary choices over the years,” Schlameuss said.
She said gestational diabetes is a third type of diabetes. It affects pregnant women, who are usually tested toward the middle of the pregnancy to see if their sugar has become elevated. While they may start getting blood sugars that are elevated, by the end of the pregnancy, usually it goes back to normal. When diagnosing gestational diabetes, medical professionals look at the level A1C, or hemoglobin A1C, which is a blood marker that indicates a person’s blood sugars over the last three months.
Schlameuss said diabetes can cause other health problems such as dead tissue, heart disease, necrosis in the feet, nerve damage, neuropathy, oral decay and vision and hearing loss. She said some people with diabetes require amputations when wounds in the ligament remain long enough that the ligament cannot be saved. This includes legs and toes. A lot of those with diabetes also suffer from kidney disorders.
Schlameuss said people should get routine checkups to stay on top of their health and seek medical help when exhibiting symptoms of prediabetes or diabetes.
“A lot of times, [those with high blood sugar] don’t realize it till they get to the hospital for something like a heart attack or something, and they start doing all this blood work over there,” Schlameuss said. “When [those showing signs of diabetes] are young, though, they… don’t realize it. They’ll have stuff like excessive urination. They’ll constantly need to pee, [have a] dry mouth [and exhibit] thirst. Those are signs a lot of kids will see before they go to the doctor.”
“[LHS] can provide staff and teachers [training on how to treat diabetes] to ensure a safe and supportive environment.”
Junior Isaac Camilo said he learned about diabetes from his grandmother, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a teenager.
“I asked my mother as to why my grandmother took insulin injections, and she said it was due to her having diabetes. From that, I had a general understanding but later learned that there are different types of diabetes that are caused by different factors,” Camilo said.
He said his grandmother’s greatest struggle with diabetes was taking insulin daily and eating the right foods.
If someone he knew were to develop diabetes, Camilo said he would be there to support them. He said he would encourage people with type 1 diabetes to take their insulin daily and those with type 2 diabetes to take it as needed to manage glucose levels.
According to the National Library of Medicine, about 9.3% of the world’s population has diabetes. This number is projected to increase in the upcoming years.
The United States has the fourth highest number of diabetics in the world behind China, India and Pakistan, respectively.
Camilo said the high type 2 diabetes rate among Americans is the result of dietary choices.
“Eating an excess of sugary foods and the ways of different lifestyles can lead to diabetes,” Camilo said. “The USA [has] so many foods and drinks that are high in sugar as well as lots of people with [an excessive] and less healthy lifestyle.”
Camilo, who is the student government president, said LHS has an obligation to inform students about diabetes.
“The school can put out information year-round as to how to help [and] support those with diabetes, therefore educating and spreading awareness to students,” said Camilo.
