First Impressions - Memorial Hospital of South Bend

“She was really great,” says Jill ofMackiewicz. “She never made us feelstupid; she was patient, waiting andlistening. And we could always callher.” The family was in the hospital,learning from Mackiewicz, for fourdays before Zachary was allowed toreturn home. Jill vividly rememberslearning to give insulin shots. Her firstpatient? An orange.“They were ready learners,”Mackiewicz remembers of theLyons. “Zachary was amazing. Weall took to calling him ‘the littleprofessor’ because he was such abright, precocious child. He was only5 years old, but he read theinformation about carb counting andwas asking the nurses and doctorsquestions as soon as he was able.”“That’s how we knew he was feelingbetter,” says Jill, “He just startedtalking again, nonstop.”The adjustment to using insulinwasn’t easy, but Zachary handled itwith aplomb. In first grade, hetransferred to using a pump, whichhe prefers. “The pump is a lot easier,”he explains. “With shots I had tofigure out how many units ofinsulin—it was almost impossible toget perfect. The pump will tell you, itwill reduce when it’s supposed to.”The adjustment was also social.Zachary didn’t know any otherchildren with diabetes, and had tolearn to explain his condition to hispeers. Explanations proved to bechallenging. “Most other kids justthink I’m allergic to sugar,” he says.Type 1 diabetes is more complex thana simple allergy. Also called insulindependentdiabetes, the incurabledisease is a result of the pancreas notproducing insulin, the hormone thathelps glucose enter cells, giving themenergy. Without insulin, the bloodretains too much glucose. If untreated,these high glucose levels can lead toproblems with the eyes, heart, kidneys,nerves, gums and teeth. Thosediagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, likeZachary, need to take doses of insulinfor the rest of their life, regulatingtheir blood sugar carefully.Living with diabetes involves thewhole family, says Mackiewicz.Thankfully, Zachary not only has veryinvolved parents, but his youngersister, Alex, is also part of his dailylife and health. A few years youngerthan her brother, Alex understandsthe gravity of his condition, butsometimes the siblings find a lighterside to the difficult situation.“Sometimes we joke and say thatZack’s pump is a phone,” Alex says.“When it beeps, he’ll pull it out of hispocket and hold it up to his ear likehe’s listening.”Every year, the Lyon family returnsto Memorial’s Pediatric IntensiveCare Unit to see Mackiewicz andher fellow nurses, bearing flowersand smiles. And, like all diabetespatients, they are waiting for a curefor the disease.To learn more about the searchfor a cure for diabetes, visit theJuvenile Diabetes ResearchFoundation Web site, www.jdrf.org,or to learn about the juvenile diabetesprogram at Memorial, visit www.MemorialChildrensHospital.org. •Knowing theDifference: MemorialChildren’s HospitalChildren are not small adults. Thisstatement is never more true thenwhen a child needs medical care.Children need specialized healthcare, focused on their uniquedevelopmental needs and involvingtheir parents in all aspects.Memorial Children’s Hospital offershigh-quality specialized care in avariety of areas. By providing thisresource locally, families have thecomfort of knowing their childreceives first-class care close tohome. In addition to pediatricdiabetes care, these pediatricspecialties include:• Pediatric Intensivists• Neonatologists• Pediatric Infectious Disease• Pediatric Pulmonologists• Developmental Pediatrics• Pediatric Hospitalists• Pediatric Hematology/Oncologists• Maternal-Fetal MedicineSpecialists• Child Life Specialists• Pediatric Emergency TransportServices• Pediatric Physical Therapists• Pediatric Speech Therapists• Pediatric Occupational TherapistsTo learn more about MemorialChildren’s Hospital, visit www.MemorialChildrensHospital.org.SPRING / SUMMER 2010 › www.qualityoflife.org015