Finding a Cure
The story about Hallie Scott By:
Mark and Carla Scott
“I feel low” are the words that we have to watch out for when we hear them coming out of the mouth of our 8-year-old daughter, Hallie. Hallie has spent the last 2 ½ years fighting a courageous battle against type-1 juvenile diabetes, which she was diagnosed with at 5 years old. Type-1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which the pancreas does not produce insulin, which controls the level of blood sugar in the body.
The effects of one isolated low blood sugar are extremely serious. One isolated low blood sugar could be fatal. It’s very important to look at her because she won’t always tell us when she feels low. We have to stay alert for signs of high and low blood sugar in Hallie. For lows, we look for paleness, sweat, nausea, shakiness, weakness and hyperactivity. Symptoms of high are nausea, headaches, irritability, thirst and excessive blinking, which indicates blurry vision.
Sudden emergency Hallie’s battle with diabetes began Jan. 13th, 2004. She was just 5 years old. We noticed that she kept drinking large amounts of water and soda, and something seemed a little off. Hallie had never been very sick before other then a cold or two, but something just didn’t seem right. We took Hallie to the doctor and were told to take her immediately to the hospital. After a one night stay at St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia she was then transferred to Children’s in St. Louis, Mo. Hallie was in a situation and needed medical attention immediately. Our pediatrician called specialists in juvenile diabetes shortly after being admitted at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Credit the pediatrician They diagnosed her so quickly; it was within two minutes after a quick test that we heard that she was spilling large amounts of sugar in her urine. Hallie’s sugar levels climbed over 700 at it‘s highest, which is dangerously high. Her normal blood sugar level should be between 100 and 200. But with the quick thinking and fast reaction from our Pediatrician, Dr. Matt Stedelin in Centralia. We had to learn fast how to properly care for a child with diabetes. They had to separate true medical facts from false stereotypes. Also, we had to work to provide a positive atmosphere for us and Hallie to make sure she didn’t grow up looking at her diabetes with the wrong perspective. We had to take some crash courses at the hospital before we were allowed to take Hallie home, but what we needed went far beyond a school lesson. We had to learn how to do finger pricks to test her blood sugar, how to measure insulin, how to inject insulin, how to tell when Hallies blood sugar might be high or low and much, much more. Also, we had to learn how to prepare Hallie’s food, which has to be measured to ensure she gets the proper amount of carbohydrates.
Hallie’s Hope About a year after Hallie was diagnosed; we wanted to do everything we could to help find a cure for juvenile diabetes. We formed Hallie’s Hope a walking group for the juvenile diabetes research foundation (JDRF). Oct 1st “Hallie’s Hope” will walk for our second year. Last years fundraising collected $12,900 and this year’s goal is $20,000. We have work hard raising money, putting on many different events, like the “Shooting for a cure” golf tournament at the colonial golf course in Sandoval, the Hallie’s Hope benefit run sponsored by abate freedom riders, “Rummaging for a Cure” rummage sale at the Centralia Moose, “Mowing Down Diabetes” lawn mower poker run in Centralia Sept 16th, we’ve sold Hallie Hope candles and in Oct something for the kids. We are trying to have a “Bounce Centralia” day with many inflatable for the kids to play on. Previous donations have helped reach breakthroughs, and the importance of taking the walk and/or making a donation that much greater.
The walk To make other Hallie’s Hope walkers feel more like a family, we had Hallie’s Hope shirts made for all 26 members last year. It was nice to see 26 people walking around with Hallie’s Hope shirts on. We had walkers of all ages, from stroller to?? Well I better not say, to show support and be a part of Hallie’s Hope family.
Donation I’ll admit that it is hard to get people to donate to the cause, especially because people are under the impression that not a lot of the money actually goes to research. But once people see the dedication they put in, we hope they will respond. It’s important that people understand that it is more then a walk with lunch afterwards. It’s also important that people are aware that with the JDRF, 85 percent of all the money raised goes to research. Everything we do is for a reason: we want to find a cure.
Our Condition Also important is surrounding Hallie with positivity. In order to do that, we have made Hallie’s condition our condition. Every three months Hallie needs to see her doctors at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. For blood work and a check up. We have made it a point to visit a child in the hospital with diabetes and take them a present and to let them know that they are not alone.
A day in the life of Hallie Hallies routine has to remain the same every day, no matter what. There is no vacation from diabetes. During school days, weekend, holidays and vacation, Hallie has to be tested and fed at the same time every day. Your life is lived by the clock, as soon as she wakes up, she has her blood sugar tested and then she has 30 minutes to eat, and the she get an insulin injection in either her legs, arms or hips. Then lunch, Hallie’s mom pick her up from school so all of her food can be weighted and measured. She will check her sugar levels by finger prick and then she will eat, again having 30 minutes before she gets another insulin shot. She will then check her sugar two more times at school in the afternoon; depending on her sugar levels she might need a snack at school. After school she will check her sugar to see if a snack is needed to get her to dinner. Next dinner, Hallie will check her sugar and then again have 30 minutes to eat before another insulin injection. At 8:00 p.m. Hallie will check her sugar to see if a snack is needed to get her through the night. At 8:30 p.m. a fourth shot is needed. At 2 a.m. my wife or I will check Hallie sugar in her sleep sometime we will have to wake her up and give her something to eat or drink. That is a day in the life of Hallie Scott.
Always close It’s important that one of us is always just minutes from Hallie, because those few minutes could make a big difference. When Hallie’s sugar goes below 70 it starts falling faster and faster trying to get sugar. 4oz of juicy juice and a few minutes and she’s back to good. Hallie’s routine has to remain daily, and we made it our business to avoid any place that is not willing to accommodate. We would also give credit to Irvington school and the teachers that take such good care of Hallie and helping us keep to the routine. Emergency kits are kept at the school and at home. Hallie always has her sugar bag with her meter, test strips, needles, snacks, emergency kit and her I.D. card. It is very important that everyone that takes care of her is trained, and aware of her needs. Hallie has had a few accomplishments since being diagnosed, she has been on a billboard, in a magazine she has appeared in the JDRF’s “discoveries” newsletter twice, newspapers and she now has her own website (www.hallieshope.com) She received 3rd place for new families that raised the most money last year for the JDRF, she received a golden sneaker award and took second place in the t-shirt contest. All in all we want the public to know how serious juvenile diabetes is. To put things in perspective, since being diagnosed she has received over 4000 insulin injection and over 7500 finger prick to check sugar levels, over 11,000 needles in her little body in almost 3 year. By the time she turns 18 years old she will have received about 60,000 shots.
Complications As thankful as we are for insulin, it’s not a cure, nor does it prevent the eventual and devastating complication of the disease. Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating condition that affects every organ system. It is the leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, none traumatic amputations, never damage, stroke and heart attack. Life expectancy for people with diabetes is shortened by an average of 15 years. These statistics are unacceptable to us. As parents it’s our instinct from the moment our kids are born to protect them. We must do everything in our power to help find a cure for her and the thousands like her.
Bottom line WE NEED YOUR HELP! The JDRF is the largest worldwide organization dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes. In a typical year 85% of every dollar spent goes to research and education. Our family team is, “Hallies Hope” is collecting pledges and holding fundraisers with the Hope of reaching $20,000 this year. If you are interested, there are three ways you can help us make a difference in the fight against diabetes.1. You can join our family’s team, known as “Hallies Hope” which consists of family and friends who collect pledges and walk with us.2. Send your donations and contact others in your circle of family and friends to donate as well. Just contact us and we will send you a pledge form.3. You can send our family a tax-deductible contribution in any amount, made payable to JDRF. We will deliver all donations in Hallies honor the morning of the walk. Thank you for helping our family’s team as we strive toward our goal to raise $20,000 this year, and the ultimate goal, “FINDING A CURE”
Send your donations to:
Hallie Scott
P.O. Box 145
Irvington, IL 62848