On Friday, November 17th St. Mary Catholic Community School had a Diabetes Awareness Day. The students were encouraged to wear jeans and wear blue if a free will donation was brought in. Blue is the designated color for diabetes. The proceeds will be given to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). St. Mary’s Student Council representatives came up with the idea as November is diabetes awareness month. One of St. Mary’s teachers, a Student Council sponsor, has Type 1 Diabetes. Student Council representative Lorelei said she came up the suggestion after doing research and learned that November is diabetes awareness month. She also said that “one of my favorite teachers” has it. Other student council members said they have relatives and friends who have diabetes and wanted to bring awareness of the diagnosis to SMS students. Two of the more common types of diabetes – a metabolic condition characterized by elevated blood glucose (sugar) – are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a condition that affects the way the body process blood sugar and Type 1 is a condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin (to help regulate blood sugar). In addition to a St. Mary’s teacher, two students also have Type 1 diabetes. All three of them have a continuous blood glucose monitoring system and an Omnipod which provides non-stop insulin delivery through a tubeless, waterproof pump called a pod. The continuous monitoring system results in very few finger sticks and the Omnipod eliminates multiple daily insulin injections. Teacher, Michelle Sarabia, said this allows her to live somewhat of a more normal life. Student Abby said, she likes the Omnipod because it gives the insulin automatically and she does not have to get shots and student Emma said the Dexcom and Omnipod mean less finger sticks and less insulin shots. Several other staff members have experienced and witnessed changes as they have family members with diabetes such as a spouse, child, and grandchild. Research has made many advancements over the years and hopefully will continue to do so, making diabetes more manageable for people and possibly even a cure some day. Students with diabetes at St. Mary School receive care and monitoring from registered nurse, Patti Miskus.
Teacher, Michelle Sarabia, and students Abigail Faulkner and Emma Trendowski show their Omnipods – a tubeless, waterproof non-stop insulin delivery system which eliminates insulin injections.
Emma talks to her 1st grade class about diabetes while showing them Rufus, her JDRF bear, which shows placement spots for the continuous monitoring system (CGM) and Omnipod.
St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point offers grade levels Junior Pre-Kindergarten (for three-year-olds) through grade eight. St. Mary’s faculty teaches a rich curriculum supported by cutting-edge technology. Faith, Academic Excellence, Life Lessons, and Compassion are the pillars of the school. Students in all grades are provided with opportunities to help others throughout the year. To learn more about St. Mary’s School visit school.stmarycp.org or call 219-663-0676 for a family tour.
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