In Memory of a Son

After 25 years of living with diabetes, our wonderful son Gerad died in a low blood sugar incident in 2007. He was 34. His brothers, their wives, my husband, and I decided to honor him and all he had done as a diabetes camp counselor to help other children with the disease. So in July 2008, we had our first Gerad Meteyer Foundation silent auction and picnic, with 100 percent of the funds raised going to send underprivileged youth with diabetes to Camp Midicha, the Michigan ADA Diabetes Camp where Gerad spent his summers as a camper and counselor. 

We had hoped to send two children to camp in 2009. But we raised enough to send 12 children! During a June dedication at camp of a plaque honoring Gerad, a preteen camper came up to us and said she was one of the children to receive a scholarship. It was real! We had done it. This August we had our second annual Gerad Meteyer fund-raiser and silent auction. 

Gerad read Diabetes Forecast cover to cover. You taught him a lot about his disease and assured him that many others knew what he was experiencing. You gave him hope and made him feel as though he belonged to a special club. Thank you for your help during the 25 years our son knew you.

For more information about the foundation, please visit gerad.pledgepage.org.
Barb Meteyer, Farmington Hills, Mich.

For Kids and Parents, Too

Thank you for the stories about type 1 diabetes that you have published the past few months. My 10-year-old son, David, was diagnosed with type 1 in July. We have made adjustments to the entire family's lifestyle. We are learning to manage my son's diabetes, and not be managed by it.

Stories like "Serious Competition," about Team Type 1; “Closing the Deal,” about Brandon Morrow of the Seattle Mariners; and "One Reader's Active Life" are encouraging for young, newly diagnosed kids like David, as well as for their parents. Please keep writing them.
Paula Lonsway, Weston, Fla.

Sports and Diabetes

In reading "Serious Competition," I was particularly struck, encouraged, and inspired by a quote from Team Type 1 cofounder Phil Southerland: "We want to show people that with good control, diabetes isn't your crutch—it's your strength."

After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2003, followed by several emotionally strained years, I am now learning firsthand to appreciate this comment. Type 1 diabetes gave me a new fire for life—and because of that, at age 32, diabetes is my strength on the playing field. I am now much more athletic and competitive, with more tenacity and drive than ever. While diabetes is difficult, and my control is definitely a work in progress, this new fire is an asset, a life-changer, and a game-changer, for sure.

My business partner's twin 12-year-old sons, Jack and Ross Grigsby, who both have type 1, and I call ourselves Team Triple Threat. We recently created a video of our team's athletic pursuits and won the first Chris Dudley Foundation Video Contest, "Living Active With Diabetes."
Andrew Beck, Washington, D.C.

It was fascinating to get some insight on how the elite cyclists of Team Type 1 handle the challenges they face competing with diabetes.

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 10 years ago at age 38, I found that I needed to make fitness a big part of my life. I purchased a treadmill and began running on it, and that soon inspired me to take my running to the streets. I was hooked. I have completed two half marathons and am signed up for two more. It makes me very proud to say that I have finished a half marathon, and even prouder knowing I did so with diabetes. 

I can honestly say that I am a much healthier person today, with diabetes, than I was before I was diagnosed. Exercise is a huge part of my diabetes management, and I am thankful during every run—and every bike ride and exercise session on the elliptical machine—that I have kept it up. It is very empowering to know that I am helping myself with this hard work.
Sandy Graf, Hauser, Idaho

Playing It Safe

I travel often, visiting family and friends out of town. Having type 2 diabetes, I test my blood glucose at their homes. I want to be careful about how I dispose of sharps, especially when there are kids in the house. I safely dispose of my lancets using an empty prescription bottle with a childproof cap. That way, I can just toss it in the trash when my visit is over.

I also plan ahead when it comes to keeping health care providers informed about what medications I'm taking. When I finish the first bottle of a certain prescription, I remove the label and make two copies of it. I keep one copy at home and put the other in a photo sleeve in my wallet. This way, in case of an emergency, the doctor will know exactly what drugs I am taking, when I started taking them, and which doctors prescribed them.
Leigh Ann Baio, Colchester, Conn.

Is Low Fat the Best?

Why is it that most of the recipes in your magazine call for low-fat ingredients? Aren't natural foods better for you than processed products? Doesn't removing fat from a food often require adding sugar?

My endocrinologist recommended a tablespoon of heavy cream with my berries for dessert because a tablespoon of heavy cream has zero carbohydrates. And with a drop of stevia in the cream, they taste great.
Alex Palos, Templeton, Calif.

Sue Robbins, RD, CDE, responds: The recipes call for low-fat ingredients to cut down on calories and saturated fat. Many people with diabetes need to limit calories to manage their weight. It's important to limit saturated fat, which can raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, especially because cardiovascular disease is a common complication of diabetes.

The American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association recommend limiting calories from saturated fat to 7 percent of total daily intake. On 1,800 calories a day, you should have no more than 14 grams of saturated fat. A tablespoon of heavy cream has 52 calories, 6 grams of total fat, and 3 grams of saturated fat. Of course, you can work it and other full-fat foods into your meal plan.

Whole, unprocessed fruits, vege­tables, legumes, and grains are great choices for healthy eating. When it comes to meats and dairy, leaner choices are best, including reduced-fat cheese made from 2 percent or part skim milk. Reduced-fat cheese generally has about 33 percent less saturated fat than regular cheese.

You are right that low-fat processed foods, like cookies and cakes, are usually higher in sugar. You should limit how much of those foods you eat.

The Virtues of Beef

In reading September’s Food for Thought article, "Better Beef," I found it ironic that you would say, "There is evidence that eschewing beef altogether is best for optimum health," and then follow that with a list of beef's nutritional attributes. I will continue to recommend lean beef as an excellent source of nutrition to my clientele. 
Janel Getz, LRD, CDE, Cooperstown, N.D.

HDL and LDL

My endocrinologist uses words that make it so much easier to remember what HDL and LDL actually mean. He calls HDL the "healthy" cholesterol (rather than "good") and LDL the "lousy" cholesterol (rather than "bad"). I have never seen these substitute words in your magazine or anywhere else, and I think your readers would appreciate learning this helpful device for remembering the difference between the two.
Jane Rimer, Milford, Conn.

Success Story

I am 58 years old and was diagnosed with diabetes 25 years ago. I have been a nurse for 34 years. Last year, I was invited to receive a Journey Award from Eli Lilly & Co. It was wonderful to be recognized for taking great care of my health all these years.

I have seen a lot happen in the world of diabetes care over that time. I was the first person in New Mexico to be included in the experimental group for the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. I am now in my 14th year of the follow-up study, Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications. I have also been involved in clinical trials for Lispro and inhalable insulin.

I lost both my father and my brother to diabetes in their early 30s. I only wish that they could have been here to take advantage of some of the new tools in diabetes care. My plan is to be the longest-living diabetic, and I am looking forward to the next part of this journey.
Ruth E. Metcalf, RN, Albuquerque, N.M.

Insulin Resistance vs. Sensitivity

Sometimes "insulin resistance" and "insulin sensitivity" are used interchangeably, even though they are opposites. Would you clarify for readers?
Joseph Rubin, Southfield, Mich.

The Editors respond: Insulin resistance is the inability of insulin to function properly in lowering glucose levels in the bloodstream. In a person with insulin resistance, the pancreas produces more insulin to achieve the same glucose-lowering effect. If insulin resistance is not reversed, pre-diabetes and eventually type 2 diabetes will develop. Insulin sensitivity refers to the body's receptiveness to insulin. In other words, someone who has insulin resistance has low insulin sensitivity.

Finding Assistance Dogs

I'd like to get a diabetes alert dog for my son. Does anyone know of any organizations besides the ones listed below for getting such a dog? So far I have found the following: www.pawsibilitiesunleashed.org, www.dogs4diabetics.com, and www.allpurposecanines.com.
Rachel Allbright, Prescott, Ariz.

The Editors respond: Our March 2008 cover story, "Could a Dog Save Your Life?", explores how trained dogs detect low blood glucose in humans. Other sources of assistance dogs include Canine Partners for Life in Cochranville, Pa., at (610) 869-4902 and www.k94life.org, and the Delta Society in Bellevue, Wash., at (425) 679-5500 and www.deltasociety.org.