Drew Johnson was just 23 years old when he was rushed to the emergency room, feeling like he was dying.
Dean Burrows was 38 when he collapsed on the stairs at home after months of sharp pains in his stomach occurring every week or two. He, too, was rushed to the ER.
Neither Johnson, the women’s basketball coach at Mississippi University for Women, nor Burrows, his counterpart with the Owls men’s team, had a clue that the cause in each case was diabetes.
Educating people about the warning signs for the disease is one of many missions of the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, which held its annual Walk for Diabetes on Sunday at the Columbus Riverwalk.
“We do a lot of advocacy across the state, helping people with problems at work, helping parents with a newly diagnosed child when they don’t know where to turn,” said Irena McClain, associate director for the foundation.
The advocacy can take many forms, McClain said, and involves people of all ages.
“We had a call from a woman who was picked up by the police for going the wrong way on I-20, and that inspired us to start our Lifesavers for Law Enforcement program, where we go out and train law enforcement about how low blood sugar is mistaken for being under the influence and how to treat them,” said McClain, who lost two brothers to diabetes.
“We saw a problem with a preschooler in Vicksburg, whose teacher didn’t know if she was having separation anxiety or low blood sugar,” she continued, saying that inspired another program — one designed to train teachers, school staff and school nurses about managing diabetes during the school day and providing schools and daycare centers that have students with diabetes with emergency boxes.
A key component of the foundation’s mission is making people aware of the warning signs of diabetes in children, McClain said, calling that aspect of her work “one of our passions.”
“It could be as subtle as a child who previously had been toilet trained beginning to wet the bed again,” she said. “It could be trauma, it could be bad dreams, but it could be diabetes, and early intervention is so important.”
The foundation coordinates six walks around the state, and McClain estimated there has been one in Columbus for 15 years. She cited community support for the walk’s success.
“The Lions Club has worked very closely with us,” she said, adding that with its SightFirst programs focusing on blindness — of which diabetes is a leading cause — the Lions Clubs are a natural ally.
McClain insisted it was a happy coincidence that David Bowie’s “Heroes” was playing as the walk began after a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The walkers could do a 1-mile “family fun walk” or a 3.15-kilometer walk along the Riverwalk, with rest stops along the way.
The rest stops were manned by volunteers from The W’s women’s basketball team, and players from both teams were doing a variety of things to help the event run smoothly.
“The W sends us fantastic volunteers from the men’s and women’s basketball teams, as both coaches have a very personal interest in diabetes,” McClain said. “We have the students here doing everything from handing out water at rest stops to cheering at the starting line when all the walkers were going out.”
“It means a lot to me that they feel as strongly about this cause as I do,” Johnson said of the players. “They gave up time on their weekend. I respect the heck out of these kids for coming out here and giving their time to this cause, because it does mean a lot to me, and I think they know that.”
Walkers organized into teams and collected donations in advance of the walk, and the DFM offered fundraising ideas to help teams increase their donations. Raising $50 earned a T-shirt, and raising $100 earned a gift card.
And all walkers were treated to a party, as the grassy area near the start/finish line included music, food — on a grill and in pizza boxes from Lost Pizza Co., for starters — and a special treat that the diabetics among the walkers should enjoy in moderation.
“Afterward we come back, and Blue Bell has generously donated ice cream,” McClain said. “We pick it up, pack it in 30 pounds of dry ice and bring it up here.”
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