Pump provides sense of freedom

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A community's generosity helps Kira Ouellet to manage her diabetes

An insulin pump, an external pancreas the size of a cell phone, will mean freedom for 10-year-old Kira Ouellet.

Since she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in March 2006, her days have been a round of pinpricks to test blood sugar at least five times a day, always being aware of how she is feeling and never forgetting the five insulin shots a day.

“I was a little bit scared at first,” said Kira, a Grade 5 student at Lavington elementary school.

Her mother, Andrea Ouellet, first noticed that she was not feeling well, just not herself.

“One day, I went into her room and couldn’t wake her up. We bundled her up and took her to the doctor's and they sent her to Children’s Hospital. We were living in Edmonton at the time and we were able to get good training on how to help Kira,” she said.

Kira’s parents had to learn how to use the blood sugar meters, the signs that her blood sugar was out of balance and figure out what needed to be done. All her food needed to be weighed and measured and the carbohydrate count calculated and the insulin doses adjusted properly. She needed six small meals a day at the right intervals. They had to wake her up in the night for tests to be sure everything was all right. If Kira was sick, things got much trickier because even if she was throwing up, she had to be forced to eat. It affected every part of her life.

“She used to tell me she was going out on her bike and all I had to do was be sure she had her helmet on. Now, I have to make sure she also has her meter, juice, sugar tablets and energy snack and is with someone who knows what’s going on and what to look for and how to help her,” said Andrea.

Kira’s moods and awareness would change if her blood sugar was out of balance and that caused problems at school as she would not do well on tests if her blood sugar was unstable. The other students couldn’t always understand the changes and some of them would tease her, causing more stress.

“The highs and lows change her emotions and she can get upset easier. People don’t understand why she has to say no to sugary food. The kids can be cruel sometimes. Luckily, the teachers are understanding and we’re so thankful for that,” said Andrea.

Nadine Laraway-Toop, whose daughter, Brooke, has had an insulin pump for several years, led the fundraising to buy a pump for Kira.

“Kids are afraid of anything different and they need to be educated that this is a life or death situation for children with diabetes. If the blood sugar is too low, the child can have seizures and go into a coma; if it is too high, they can have ketone acidosis which causes organ damage. Some people will make it seem like it is somehow the parents’ fault,” she said.

Andrea added, “Or they will think it’s the child’s fault, that they brought it on themselves through bad diet or no exercise. There are stereotypes. In reality, Kira eats a healthy diet and gets her exercise — she has to.”

Andrea is grateful that Kira is getting the pump now so that she will have time to get adjusted to it before the changes of puberty.

“The pump is a wonderful thing but it is not a cure. It gives insulin at a set rate and the readings are more continuous so it is easier to adjust for what she eats and activity. The line to her skin will have to be changed every three days which will be much better for her skin than the shots five times a day and since the pump has a sensor which tells if the blood sugar is going up or down, it cuts down on the poking for blood sugar tests. Her fingers are a mess,” said Andrea.

The pump, which costs about $7,000, is not covered by medical insurance. Laraway-Toop raised $7,400 to provide some help with insulin and other supplies which cost about $400 a month. Kira and the family will have to do training on how to use the pump and she should have it by December.

“It’s going to mean getting a little bit of her childhood back. She can go to sleepovers and parties and have a little treat. She can be more active and have more of a sense of control. She’s going to take swing dance lessons in the new year,” said Andrea.

“It’s wonderful. We had no idea that we’d be able to get it this soon.”

Kira said, “It means I will actually get to eat, to take part in birthday parties and holidays and do things. I’m really happy about it.”

Laraway-Toop joins the Oullett family in thanking the community for its support.

“This tells you how great our community is. When children understand what diabetes is, they can be very good about it. We had school kids emptying out their piggy banks to help and one seven-year-old said, ‘she can’t die.’ So we have to keep up the education.”

There are 87 children in the Vernon area who have diabetes and about 90 per cent of them have the insulin pump.