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Living with Childhood Diabetes in AlaskaCBS 11’s Alexis Fernandez takes a look at one little girl living with Type 1 diabetes
Nearly 67,000 children and adults in Alaska are living with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.
It’s a chronic disease in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to break down sugar to create energy. People with Type 2 diabetes, which is far more common in adults produce insulin but aren’t able to break it down. Kearstyn Cotten, 7, is just one of thousands of children living with Type 1 diabetes, known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. Cotten was diagnosed with the disease a year and half ago after her parents noticed a change in her diet. “We were going through a lot of drinking a lot, she would be the kid that I would send to school with a water bottle and she wouldn’t touch it,” said Denise Cotten, Kearstyn’s mother. Her parents then tested her sugar levels, which were four times the normal average. “She eats everything any other kid would eat, we just have to know how much it is. Everything has to be weighed and measured in terms of carbohydrates,” she said. Kearstyn has to check her blood sugar several times a day, and has a glucose monitor and insulin pump to help when her sugar levels are out of balance. It’s a new routine that keeps her alive. “Without an outside source either through injections or an insulin pump, she'll starve, it’s just the reality of it,” said her mother. The ADA estimates that it cost more than $42,000 per patient to treat diabetes in Alaska. |
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Evan Cotten said on Wednesday, Nov 23 at 12:07 PM
Sorry correction 1-888-Diabetes (888-342-2383) X-7121.
77395398Evan Cotten said on Wednesday, Nov 23 at 12:03 PM
We are so thankful for our Local American Diabetes Association office. Michelle, Phoebe, Kris, Mary and Sara have been amazing to work with. Caryle or anyone needing information, I am obviously a Dad of a Type 1 patient being that my daughter is the Kearstyn in the news clip. So I would encourage you to call the Local ADA office here at either 1-888-Diabetes (888-342-2382) X-7121 or Local at 907-272-1424. They have been great with everything from Diabetes Camp to just the plain old day to day stuff. Also I can be contacted at doyouknowone@gmail.com
77395228American Diabetes Associaition said on Wednesday, Nov 23 at 10:57 AM
The American Diabetes Association has been very thankful to support the Cotten Family and all other Alaskans with dibaetes through our local office of over 30 years. If you are a family with a member who has Type 1 diabetes we would like to invite you to our next Family Link event to take place on December 3rd at the Dimond Center Mall. Please contact the local office of the American Diabetes Association at 907-272-1424 to RSVP. Any child with diabetes is welcome to join Kearstyn at ADA Camp in June. American Diabetes Association has scholarships available so your child can learn about diabetes and have fun with other kids like them. We are committed to supporting all Alaskans with diabetes and also reasearching to find a cure.
77391852Mike JDRF Anchorage/Walk Coordinator said on Tuesday, Nov 22 at 2:03 PM
Facts about JDRF JDRF is the worldwide leader in funding research to cure type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly and lasts a lifetime. JDRF is the leading funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes science. Research Funding Facts JDRF's mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. JDRF is also committed to developing new and better treatments that improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes in the near term and keep them healthy while we advance toward a cure. General Diabetes Facts Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating disease affecting every organ system. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which a person's body still produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively.
77348842Mike said on Tuesday, Nov 22 at 1:38 PM
JDRF is in Alaska and we are brand new to the area. Please look us up!! We are here to support the community mwyne@jdrf.org
77347502Wendy Baker said on Tuesday, Nov 22 at 8:12 AM
You all should consider starting a Type One Diabetes Foundation for support in Alaska. Tyler Type One has been a huge blessing to our family and we wouldn't have known what to do without that support. Your families could all encourage and help each other. Check out the TODF at TODF.org and consider starting an affiliation! It has been wonderful and life changing!
77328609Snow Bear said on Monday, Nov 21 at 11:23 PM
My daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 at 5. She is now 12 and uses a pump. She has minimal complications but almost 7 years in and we are all exhausted. It is very expensive even with good insurance, it is multiple finger pokes and port insertions, counting everything from food to making sure the pump is giving a correct bolus, middle of the night glucose checks, and the constant worry about school and being at friends' homes. We have not had a pediatric endocrinologist in AK for the last 5 1/2 years, supposedly one is coming soon. My daughter plays sports, is very active and does really well managing, but I only can imagine what she would be like if she wasn't battling constant glucose fluctuations and the havoc this disease plays on her body and brain. The comments from people who confuse Type 1 and Type 2 can be really frustrating. Type 1 is auto immune, my child has no family history, is very slender and we didn't feed her too much sugar. And no, cinnamon won't cure her either.
77312009Caryle said on Monday, Nov 21 at 1:55 PM
This article was a disappointment! We are moving to AK in June for my husbands job. Our 14 yr old daughter has Type 1 and I am really concerned about her care once we move. I was thinking this article would shed some light on 'living with childhood diabetes in Alaska'. Not one word was mentioned about services that are offered to children and families. The article could have been so much more.
77292144Daniel Haszard said on Monday, Nov 21 at 12:59 PM
Be aware of drugs that potentiate diabetes. Eli Lilly Zyprexa Olanzapine issues linger. The use of powerful antipsychotic drugs has increased in children as young as three years old. Weight gain, increases in triglyceride levels and associated risks for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The average weight gain (adults) over the 12 week study period was the highest for Zyprexa—17 pounds. You’d be hard pressed to gain that kind of weight sport-eating your way through the holidays.One in 145 adults died in clinical trials of those taking the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. This was Lilly's #1 product $5 billion per year sales,moreover Lilly also make billions more on drugs that treat diabetes. --- Daniel Haszard
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