by Ed Bryant
Includes photo of Colleen McCarthy LaPierre, and group photo of divers Josh Pohlman, Ryan Powers, Natalie Held, Sarah Wyss, Danny Kampo, Sarah Gatti, Krista Hoebel, and Marcus Strickland.
For too many years, too many of us with diabetes have translated the demands of our condition into limitations; "thou shalt not's." Doing thus, we turn an inconvenience into a "disability." What if we're wrong? What if we could see a succession of positive examples: folks who didn't let their diabetes get in the way? And what if we could participate in challenging and empowering activities ourselves?
Bayer Diagnostics, maker of the Ascensia line of blood glucose monitors, believes in the power of positive example. Once a year, they sponsor a contest, looking for diabetics with extraordinary personal goals, goals that might in past have been considered "off limits" because of diabetes. The Ascensia Dream Fund provides grant funding, to an individual or team, to place such achievement within attainable reach.
Colleen McCarthy LaPierre was the 2003 winner. Diabetic herself, her dream was to become scuba-certified, and then to offer, without charge, to diabetic teenagers, a scuba-camp program. Diving in one of the world's most beautiful open-water locations, St. John's, in the Antilles, it would be an ultimate empowering adventure.
"Scuba was their tangible challenge; but what I wanted these kids to come away with was the belief that if they could do this, they could do anything," she said.
She was not a certified scuba diver. She hadn't been down before. In fact her whole idea, which she called "Dream Big; Dive Deep," was pulled into shape the last few days before the 2003 Dream Fund contest closed -- but it caught the eye of the judges.
An important point -- Bayer Diagnostics did not fund the participation of these young people; they funded Colleen's idea. It was her generosity that made her scuba camp possible. That makes the story amazing.
Colleen figured she could handle up to ten young divers. She got the word out, and started screening applicants. Who should go?
The process for choosing which diabetic teens would participate in Dream Big; Dive Deep was not unlike the selection process that led to Colleen's victory in the Ascensia Dream Fund. Possible contestants (teens age 16 and 17, all with insulin-dependent diabetes) had a phone interview, wrote an essay (on how participation in the program could change their lives), and had to demonstrate they could keep their blood glucose under very tight control (A1c of less than 8.5 in this case; and note: for most diabetics, not teens involved in intense physical exercise, doctors recommend A1c goals closer to 7).
Colleen got dive-certified just prior to the program. "I'd originally planned to get certified simultaneously with the kids," she said, "but I realized that was too much, to do that and run the program. I wanted to be there to support the kids during their process. So I got certified earlier."
Eight were chosen: Sarah Gatti, from Peabody, Massachusetts; Natalie Held, from Potomac, Maryland; Krista Hoebel, from Plum, Pennsylvania; Daniel Kampo, from Cheyenne, Wyoming; Joshua Pohlman, from Grand Forks, North Dakota; Ryan Powers, from Chicago, Illinois; Marcus Strickland, from Perryburg, Ohio; and Sarah Wyss, from Troy, Michigan.
Professional dive-masters Richard Buonatio, of Southold, New York, and Steve Prosterman, of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, would be in charge under water.
Colleen brought her winners to Shelter Island, New York, where they received scuba instruction, and did four dives, prior to receiving open water certification. The process took eight days.
Then it was on to St. Johns, in the Caribbean, to a dive-site called Moha Bay. There was to be diving, kayaking, hiking, snorkelling, and many other activities.
But intense physical activity lowers blood sugars; how did they avoid hypoglycemia? "We followed very strict guidelines, getting into the water," Colleen reported. "We knew we had to prevent hypoglycemia -- and we did not have any hypoglycemic episodes. On average, the kids were testing their blood sugar about 15 times a day. They had to show a stable or increasing pattern in their blood sugars. They had to be over a certain level before they were allowed in the water -- and when they came out, they had to check again and see where they were at. We were able to establish for each kid what their personal trend was. We discovered they almost always dropped 100 points under water. Thus, we knew where to get their blood sugar up to before they got in, so they'd be safe in the water."
The eight participants each made six open water dives. "The most important thing we achieved, and the goal of the program, was to prove to these kids that if they take care of themselves, they can achieve their goals," Colleen told me. "If they could do this, they could do anything."
"I just want to say this is probably the most amazing thing I have ever done, in the history of ever," one of the participants told me.
Did it work? "We achieved our goals, and fulfilled my dream. It was awesome," Colleen reported. "The only thing I would add is that the Ascensia Dream Fund contest will shortly be seeking its third winner, and people with diabetes, whether type 1 or type 2, can enter their own dreams. They may be the next winner, and I encourage them to try. If you miss the deadline, go for the next year -- as I'm sure they're going to keep doing it. The website to look at is: www.ascensiadreamfund.com."
If someone would like to talk to Colleen about her experience, they may contact her: Colleen McCarthy LaPierre, Barton Center for Diabetes Education, 30 Ennis Road, North Oxford, MA 01537. Or, contact the Ascensia Dream Fund, 302A West 12th Street, Suite #227, New York, NY 10027; telephone: 1-800-332-3210; website: www.ascensiadreamfund.com
The 2004 Ascensia Dream Fund competition just closed, on September 10. There will be a 2005 competition, and if you have an idea, for an empowering activity or achievement, one that diabetes would traditionally have limited, you are encouraged to submit it for possible funding. You do not have to be a diabetes professional. Contact the Ascensia Dream Fund for details.