First Impressions - Memorial Hospital of South Bend

Outof theBlueOne family’s journeywith juvenile diabetesPULSE › Memorial Health System › 574-647-6800Five years ago Jill and Erik Lyon returned from a weeklongvacation to find their young son, Zachary, moroseand withdrawn.“He was acting strange for two weeks, but we didn’tthink much of it. We thought he was just reacting toour absence, to staying with his grandmother,” explainsJill. Yes, he was drinking more water and juice, but thattoo seemed to reflect his change in schedule morethan any medical issue.Knowing the SignsType 1 diabetes, like Zachary’s, is most common inchildren and young adults, but can appear at any age.Approximately 15,000 people under the age of 20 arediagnosed in the United States each year. And, like theLyon family, you need not have a family history ofdiabetes to be at risk. Symptoms of Type 1 diabetesmay include:• Being very thirsty or hungry• Urinating often• Feeling tired• Unexplainable weight loss• Slow-healing wounds or sores• Dry, itchy skin• Loss of sensation or tingling inyour feet• Blurry eyesightA blood test can show if you or your child hasdiabetes. If diagnosed, insulin injections are therequired form of treatment.Zachary Lyon, now 10, plays computer games and is learning the guitar,unhindered by his juvenile diabetes.However, when the normally chatty and straightforwardZachary didn’t snap out of his blue mood after a fewdays, his mother called her family doctor. “Can a 5-yearoldbe depressed?” she asked. The doctor was skeptical,but advised that she bring Zachary for a check-up in acouple of days.Zachary couldn’t wait. Tired, thirsty and silent, he wasunable to stay awake. “I just remember being so sleepy,”Zachary recalls. On March 2, 2005, Jill rushed him to thedoctor, who then transferred him to the MemorialPediatric Intensive Care Unit. Zachary was immediatelydiagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, formerly known asjuvenile diabetes.With no family history of diabetes, Jill felt as though she’dbeen thrown in deep water, but the diabetes specialistsat Memorial Children’s Hospital were ready to help. WhileZachary was still in the hospital, the whole family metwith Noreen Mackiewicz, R.N., CDE, Pediatric DiabetesEducator, who taught them the basics of Zachary’s care.“We first teach [parents] what we call ‘survival skills,’ ”explains Mackiewicz. These skills include giving injections,checking blood sugar, managing meal plans and countingcarbohydrates. Families are also provided with thenecessary contact information in case of an emergency.Mackiewicz becomes the “go-to” person for families likethe Lyons.014