Posted on: Friday, March 18, 2005
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Dad turns diabetes into cause
By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist
Every time an ambulance goes up the hill past his house, Leo Garcia prays.
"Please, God, don't let the phone ring."
He worries about his 10-year-old daughter, Natasha, when she's at school. He worries when she's at home. The worry doesn't stop when she's snug in her bed at night. He has to get up to check several times. He's been doing this for four years now.
Natasha was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in May 2001 after being rushed to the emergency room.
"She was dying. My daughter actually was dying," Garcia says.
Natasha had passed a routine physical just two months before. Her symptoms came on suddenly — weight loss, loss of appetite and increased thirst.
When diabetes was confirmed, the first question the Garcias had was "OK, how long until she's cured?"
There is yet no cure.
Leo Garcia shook himself out of the initial shock and charged headlong into figuring out what he needed to do for his little girl. His education began while Natasha was still in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Tripler. Since then, the Garcias have become experts on diabetes care, specifically on Natasha's daily regimen to keep her blood sugar levels stable.
"You have to learn to be a dietician, a mathematician, an exercise physiologist," says Certified Diabetic Educator Hope Cooper-Oliver. "It's not like you get it down and it's fixed. It's ongoing. It's constant problem-solving."
At home, Garcia can help Natasha check her blood sugar by pricking her finger. Then he adjusts her insulin accordingly, factoring in food intake and exercise.
At school, Natasha is in charge of her own care. "She has to make a life-or-death decision by herself," Garcia says.
In January, Natasha started on insulin pump therapy, which allows for more steady levels of insulin and fewer shots. She had been up to 10 shots a day of injectable insulin before that.
Leo Garcia has become a high-energy volunteer for the American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He organizes events for diabetic kids and their families, visits kids who have been newly diagnosed and, along with Natasha, has made speeches to lawmakers, business people, medical staff and school personnel. The Garcias will be making the rounds at tomorrow's Walk for Diabetes.
"Everybody has a calling in life. When Natasha was diagnosed, my mission became so clear: to advocate, educate, and do everything I can to make sure we find a cure."
Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.
"I don't wish this on any parent, not even my worst enemy," Garcia says.
AMERICA'S WALK FOR DIABETES
Tomorrow, Kapi'olani Park
