Fourth Chance at Life - Winthrop University Hospital

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Winter/Spring • 2011Institute for Family CareYoung Patients Take Control WithWinthrop’s Pediatric Diabetes Program“She’s a kid first” is Carol Rosenking’smantra for her 13-year-old daughter,Taylor. A vibrant and active teenager,Taylor has asserted control over diabetes –an autoimmune disease that destroys thecells of the pancreas that produce insulin– with the help of Winthrop-UniversityHospital’s Pediatric Diabetes Program.Diabetes has become one of themost common and serious conditions inchildren, and it affects the entire family.At Winthrop, young people living withdiabetes and their families have a specializedprogram to call their own. TheWinthrop Pediatric Diabetes Program isan American DiabetesAssociation nationallyrecognized pediatric diabetesand endocrine careprogram. It serves over1,000 children with diabetesthroughout thetri-state area utilizingthe caring and expertiseof a team of specialiststo help young patientsachieve and maintainoptimal blood glucosecontrol and minimize orprevent complications.“The PediatricDiabetes Program atWinthrop is committedto providing individualized quality andcaring treatment to children, adolescentsand young adults with diabetes. Theclinical and educational staff address theneeds not only of the patient, but of theirfamily and the community,” said SihamAccacha, MD, Chief of Winthrop’sPediatric Diabetes Program.Children living with diabetes facemany challenges. Every time they eat,they have to count carbs to manage theirblood glucose levels, and they must continuouslymonitor their blood glucoseThirteen-year-old Taylor Rosenkingis a patient at Winthrop’s PediatricDiabetes Program.levels and adjust their insulin therapy. Asthese patients grow older, they are also atincreased risk for many serious healthconditions including blindness, neuro -pathy, skin complications and infections,heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.“Life isn’t carefree for these children.The simplest things, like going on a fieldtrip, aren’t simple for children with diabetes.They have to make sure that theyhave all of their equipment with them,that they will be able to eat if they needto, and, if they eat, that they will be ableto see nutrition information and countcarbs,” explained Jean Corrigan, RN,MA, Program Directorof Winthrop’s PediatricDiabetes Program.Care at Winthrop’sPediatric DiabetesProgram is individualizedto suit each child’sor teen’s lifestyle and toempower the individualand their family toparticipate fully andeffectively in treatmentand lifestyle decisions.“Our programteaches children how toovercome the challengesthey face on a dailybasis and incorporatediabetes into their life. We follow ourpatients through each developmentalstage in their life, providing education,individualized care and support to theentire family every step of the way,” saidMs. Corrigan.The Center provides comprehensivemedical examinations of the childevery two months – from a completephysical examination including visionassessments to diabetes education andindividual counseling. The team consistsof pediatric endocrinologists;certified diabetes educators who are allcertified insulin pump trainers and specializedin treating diabetes in children,teens and young adults; registerednutritionists with specialized educationand expertise in diabetes nutrition; achild life specialist, as well as an exercisephysiologist and a social worker.Taylor and her family are appreciativeof the comprehensive care theyhave received from Winthrop’s PediatricDiabetes Program. When Taylor startedshowing early signs of diabetes at theage of four, her pediatrician immediatelysent her to Winthrop’s EmergencyDepartment, where she was diagnosedwith type 1 diabetes and admitted tothe Hospital. While hospitalized, Taylorand her family met Ms. Corrigan, whogave them the skills and tools theyneeded to manage diabetes at home.“Discovering that my daughter haddiabetes was scary, but when I left theHospital with Taylor, I wasn’t scared anymore,”Mrs. Rosenking recalled. “Jeanwas right by our side the entire time, andfor the first few months after Taylor wasdischarged, we were in touch with herevery day.”In spite of the challenges she faced,Taylor quickly learned how to integratediabetes into her life. By the time sheturned six, Taylor was able to recognizewhen her blood sugar was dropping,learned to read food labels, and was ableto count carbs. When she was eight,Taylor began using an insulin pump – asmall device that continuously deliversinsulin to the body through a cannula(a small tube) placed under the skin. Byeliminating insulin injections and givingTaylor greater flexibility with her mealplan, the pump allows Taylor to adjusther insulin therapy to her life – in otherwords, be a kid.“Now I can sleep in on the week-14Cornerstone
Winter/Spring • 2011Institute for Family Careends, because I don’t have to eat on aset schedule!” she said.Two years later, Taylor added continuousglucose monitoring, an adjuncttherapy to the pump that records interstitialglucose levels 24 hours a day. Thistherapy enables Taylor to monitor trendsin her blood sugar levels, giving her evenmore control over her diabetes.Among the many valuable servicesavailable to patients and their familiesthrough Winthrop’s Pediatric DiabetesProgram are insulin pump training; educationof siblings, relatives and caregiversso that they are prepared to care for thechild with diabetes; 24-hour on-callassistance for support and information;and involvement in research protocols topromote the healthy lifestyle of peopleThe Future of Diabeteswith diabetes. What’s more, the Programruns various teen, child and toddlersupport groups, as well as supportgroups for parents and family members.“Winthrop’s support groups are aninvaluable resource to all newly diagnosedpatients. Parents can relate withother parents who live with the samechallenges day in and out,” said Mrs.Rosenking.In addition, to help schools providea safe environment for children withdiabetes, the Program’s certified diabeteseducators visit their patients’ schools,when needed, to provide diabetes educationto teachers and staff members.“The care is priceless,” said Mrs.Rosenking, who credits Winthrop’s programwith ensuring that Taylor is “a kidIn addition to providing compassionate, state-of-the-art care to children with diabetes,Winthrop is at the forefront of research into the causes and treatment of diabetes.For example, Siham Accacha, MD, Chief of Winthrop’s Pediatric Diabetes Programand Principal Investigator in the DiaPrevent Clinical Trial, is working with hercolleagues at Winthrop to test the investigational Diamyd vaccine. This multi-centerclinical trial will determine if this new pharmaceutical development can help pediatricpatients who have recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes preserve theircapability to produce insulin.Dr. Accacha is also a Principal Investigator for the TrialNet Natural HistoryStudy, a multi-center study through which she and other members of the Winthropteam test relatives of individuals with type 1 diabetes for an antibody known to be apredictor of the development of diabetes. By tracking these family members, theresearchers hope to learn more about how type 1 diabetes occurs.To combat the epidemics of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, WarrenRosenfeld, MD, Chairman of Winthrop’s Department of Pediatrics, is a PrincipalInvestigator for the Reduced Obesity and Diabetes (ROAD) Study – a multi-centerstudy that analyzes the effects of school health, nutrition and exercise programs onmiddle school students’ risk for type 2 diabetes. Dr. Rosenfeld and other researchers,including several at Winthrop, are working on the hypothesis that integrating programsthat encourage healthy living into students’ daily activities will reduce theirrisk of developing type 2 diabetes.“Ask any parent of a child with diabetes or any person who lives with diabeteswhat they hope for and you will hear the same emotional refrain: ‘find a cure,’”said Virginia Peragallo-Dittko, RN, Executive Director of Winthrop’s Diabetes andObesity Institute. “In addition to the present research efforts, the future of bothclinical and basic science research at Winthrop will fully explore the physiologicaland biomedical aspects of diabetes, confront the epidemic of diabetes and find newways to improve the lives of people with diabetes.”first” and has all of the experiences andopportunities that a teenager shouldhave. The family relishes the vacationsthey have taken together to places suchas California and Hawaii – not an easyfeat when managing diabetes. Taylor isalso involved in numerous after-schoolactivities including soccer, baseball, jazzand tap.Taylor has raised over $25,000 tosupport the Juvenile Diabetes ResearchFoundation’s mission of finding a cure fordiabetes and its complications by rallyingher family and friends to participate inthe Foundation’s annual walks. She alsospends her summers at the Clara BartonDay Camp, an outdoor camp gearedspecifically toward insulin-dependentchildren. This summer, as a counselor-intraining,Taylor will serve as a role modelfor young children with diabetes.“I remember how I felt when I firstwas diagnosed with diabetes and howmany challenges I faced. I want to showkids that they are not alone, that theycan’t let diabetes stop them from anything,”said Taylor.For more information aboutWinthrop’s Pediatric Diabetes Program,call 1-866-WINTHROP. ■Nazeeh N. Hanna, MD,Chief of Neonatology,Receives Major Marchof Dimes GrantWith a prestigious grant from theMarch of Dimes, Nazeeh N. Hanna,MD, Chief of Neonatology in theDepartment of Pediatrics at Winthrop,will examine whether low dose inhaledcarbon monoxide, known to be toxicin high dose but protective in low dose,can prevent preterm labor associatedwith infection. Dr. Hanna is one of justfive scientists whose work will be supportedby $2.4 million in new grantsfrom the March of Dimes PrematurityResearch Initiative (PRI).Cornerstone 15
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Fourth Chance at Life - Winthrop University Hospital

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