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4A Daily News –Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Vitalityfitness health By Gracie Bonds Staples The Atlanta Journal-Consti- tution (MCT) ATLANTA — Days after Ansley Hawkins led a group of friends and family on a walk against diabetes, a white sign announcing Team Sugar Kids still sat in her family's Powder Springs, Ga., living room. Like the Disney memo- rabilia scattered throughout the room, the placard repre- sented a significant moment in the life of the 14-year-old. But unlike her Disney experience, what Hawkins had done was hardly child's play. This was seri- ous. was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, was on a mission to further the cause of JDRF, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. That includes, among other things, educating people about the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and helping the organization raise money for research. In her first Walk to Cure Diabetes last month, the 20-member Team Sugar Kids raised more than $6,000. Her goal next year is $10,000. Hawkins is one of near- ly 26 million Americans who have diabetes. And according to JDRF, more than 15,000 children and 15,000 adults each year — about 80 people per day — are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the U.S. In Type 1 diabetes, peo- ple stop making insulin altogether, while someone with Type 2 diabetes makes insulin but their body can- not use it or it is not pro- ducing enough. Hawkins, who at age 2 MCT photo Ansley Hawkins, right, sorts through clothes with her mother, Christina, at home in Atlanta. Ansley, 14, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age two. in diabetes, Tocher said. "If not managed proper- ly, diabetes can lead to complications such as kid- ney failure, blindness, heart disease and amputations," she said. What's driving Hawkins, the teen said, is the disease's impact on her mother, Christina. "My mom two years ago went into renal dia- betes kidney failure and had to start dialysis," she said. "It really hurt to see what the disease had done to her. I wanted to get out there and educate more people about the disease." Christina Hawkins, 38, in every three children born today will have Type 2 dia- betes in their lifetime if the current trend of overweight and inactivity in children continues," said Sue Tocher, diabetes education coordinator at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. "It's a serious problem." Both types need to be managed with the help of an endocri- nologist or health care pro- fessional who specializes "It is estimated that one was diagnosed with dia- betes at age 14. She was in the hospital with the flu in 2008 when doctors discovered her kid- neys were failing. On July 6, 2011, three days after her 37th birthday, she received a new kidney and pancreas and was rendered diabetes- free. Hawkins' mind was made up. By then, Ansley involved," she said. Team Sugar Kids, the North Cobb Christian School freshman created a Facebook page called Dia- "I needed to get In addition to forming betes for Teens to share news about the disease and to provide a forum for those with diabetes to talk and share their stories and get information. And a few weeks ago, she created instadiabetes to share pic- tures of her daily life, which includes an insulin pump and monitoring her diet. babies. This is not the case anymore, Tocher said. "Type 1 diabetes rates continue to go up, and this is true in really small chil- dren, age 5 and younger," she said. "In 2011, almost 20 percent of the newly diagnosed children we saw were in that age group." "I've already met two other children with dia- betes and 26 have liked the site," she said. Hawkins has also applied to the children's congress that meets every year in Washington. "I want to meet with our legislators to talk about the seriousness of this disease and the need for funding," she said. Tocher knows how seri- ous the disease is. At Children's Health- care of Atlanta, she said, approximately 400 chil- dren are newly diagnosed with diabetes annually. "We estimate that 10-15 percent of these children have Type 2 diabetes; the rest have Type 1," Tocher said. Tocher said that it's really important to distin- guish between the two types of diabetes and edu- cate the public. "Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is not preventable," she said. "Children with Type 1 diabetes inherit a gene from both parents that puts them at risk." When Ansley Hawkins And on her father's side, Ansley's aunt has Type 1 diabetes. Ansley had a diaper rash that wouldn't go away when her mother took her to see a pediatri- cian. When doctors finally checked her blood sugar, it was between 500-600. A healthy level is between 60-120. Although Type 1 dia- betes does not always run in families like Type 2 does, the Hawkins family tree had a lot of it on both sides. Both Christina Hawkins' mother and grandfather are Type 2 diabetics. Caregivers face challenges ATLANTA (MCT) — Karen Williams doesn't need to read the statistics about a crisis in care-giving for older adults that is sweeping the nation. She lives it every day. Williams, a sales manager for IBM, sometimes feels like a circus juggler trying to balance her family, a high-stress job, conference calls and caring for her 87-year-old mother, who suffers from diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other health problems. "I'm learning a lot about the health of the elderly, and I'm learning new things every day," said Williams, who is thankful she can often work from her Stone Mountain, Ga., home, which she and her husband expanded to make room when her mother came to live with them a few years ago. "Every day is a challenge." Williams is far from alone. The nation is experiencing a caregiver crisis that is going to get worse, said Leisa Easom, executive director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving at Georgia South- western State University in Americus. The crisis will be further fueled by an older population that is growing and living longer with chronic illnesses, combined with shortages in some areas of health care. Williams' mother requires constant care. Williams says was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2000, although the diagnosis occurred in children, it wasn't as prevalent in Although Ansley's younger sister, Bailey, is diabetes-free, research shows that siblings of children with Type 1 dia- betes have a 3 to 5 percent chance of getting Type 1 diabetes, Tocher said. Children who get Type 2 diabetes often have a very strong family history. The good news, Tocher said, is this: With early diagnosis and interven- tions, diabetics can avoid the long-term complica- tions of diabetes by, among other things, self- checking their blood glu- cose, taking medications as prescribed, measuring the carbohydrates in their diet and staying active. RANDAL S. ELLOWAY DDS IMPLANT DENTISTRY 2426 SO. 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Do you have a complete or partial denture that is no longer completely comfortable? Have you ever been embarrassed by a denture or a bridge? If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, call us today at (530) 527-6777 to schedule an evaluation appointment. We would be pleased to evaluate your oral health and discuss treatment options with you. Weekend Childbirth Class Grief Support Group Auxiliary Cookie Extravaganza 9:00am Light Up A Life 6:00pm-9:00pm 12/14 Friday 9:00am-3:00pm 12/15 Saturday Columba 7:00pm she's lucky because her mother had long-term care insur- ance, which pays part of the tab for assistance. But some of the care benefits are ending soon, which will force more responsibility on Williams, her family and a sister who lives in another state. Taking care of her mother requires a tremendous amount of organization. "I'm trying to cover all of my mother's requirements, but no matter how well I try to anticipate and cover them, things pop up," she said. For example, Williams said she has been out of town for work and had to suddenly return home when an issue arose. The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP esti- mated in a 2009 report that there were more than 65 million unpaid family caregivers to an adult or child. And much of the responsibility falls on women. The & More children affected by diabetes average caregiver is female, in her mid- to late-40s, married and working outside the home, experts say. Female care- givers may spend as much as 50 percent more time provid- ing care than male caregivers. Caring for an elderly parent or sick relative is perhaps one of the most difficult and stressful times for an individ- ual, said Clarice W. Dowdle, the chief operating officer of Atlanta-based Senior Caregiving Today and author of "Time for the Talk: The Ten Step Plan for Effective Senior Caregiving Today." When many people are placed in the role of caregiver, they have no idea about the emotional and financial com- mitment it involves. Easom said the caregiver is the one often most over- looked. She said caregivers have a 63 percent higher mor- tality rate than noncaregivers and twice the rate of chronic illnesses. redbluff.mercy.org www.redbluff.mercy.org 6:00pm-8:30pm 12/10 Monday Columba Room 527-5077 6:00pm-10:00pm 12/11 Tuesday Columba 6:30pm-8:30pm 12/12 Wednesday Columba 12/13 Thursday Main Hallway 3:00pm-5:00pm 12/27 Thursdays Coyne Center 528-4207 12/13 Thursday Columba Room 528-4207 529-8026 29-8026 736-1326 Auxiliary Crab Feed 5:30 PM January 13th, Tehama District Fairground, BUY TICKETS TODAY 736-1326 www.redbluff.mercy.org 1010 Jefferson St., Red Bluff 527-7800 Complete Dental Care • Cosmetic Dentistry • Adults And Children • New Patients Warmly Welcomed! www.MooreandPascarella.com 527-5290 529-8026