A helping hand for children with diabetes

Thiruvananthapuram: For eight-year-old Mannath Maheen from Kollam, who was detected with type 1 diabetes two months back, playing with her classmates at summer camps remains a dream as she has to take four injections a day.
“I hate sitting at home and watching cartoons along with my brother. Thus I joined the summer camp but my teachers and parents won’t allow me to jump, run and play hide and seek. Now I know that these restrictions are because of my disease,” says Mannath, while attending the family meet organized by Type 1 Diabetes Welfare Society (T1DWS).
As many as 150 children from the state who have been affected with type 1 diabetes and their parents attended the event held here at Panakkadu Hall in Nandavanam on Tuesday. Shihab Thiruvananthapuram, vice-president and district coordinator of T1DWS, said that the event is intended to bring the affected children under one umbrella.
“The lack of awareness about the severity of the disease will create more troubles. The patients need to check their blood sugar level on a continuous basis. One needs to spend Rs 5,000 to Rs 18,000 (depending upon their child’s age) monthly for taking insulin. This programme aims to create awareness among parents, help them to deal with the trauma of their child and support them by giving a diabetic kit worth Rs 5,000,” said Shihab.
According to Dr Jothydev Kesavadev, chairman of Jothydev’s Diabetes Research Centre, parents should not keep their child’s disease as a secret, because these children need special care wherever they go. “Though the disease is not preventable, with facilities like insulin pumps they can lead a normal life,” he said. Around 150 diabetic kits were distributed to the patients aged below 19 years at the function.