When Mayte Gutierrez’s 7-year-old daughter, Marlen, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in June 2010, she was blindsided: Gutierrez had many more questions than answers, but found information and support to be scarce commodities.
To spare other parents of diabetic children a repeat of her experience, Gutierrez is spearheading creation of the Rio Grande Valley Diabetes Association, Cameron County Chapter. She’s serving as president of the organization, while Hidalgo County, which started its own diabetes chapter in 2007, is helping Cameron County get things off the ground.
The Brownsville association’s first meeting for Type 1 children and their parents is scheduled for Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Residence Inn by Marriott, 3975 N. Expressway 77/83. Experts will offer information on nutrition and other health issues related to diabetes, and the meeting generally will serve as clearinghouse for information related to Type 1 diabetes. Ultimately, the group will add sessions for families affected by Type 2 diabetes as well.
Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is normally diagnosed in children or young adults. it leaves the body unable to produce insulin, which is the hormone the body needs to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Type 1 diabetes is also relatively rare compared to Type 2 diabetes, which is usually diagnosed in older people but increasingly a problem among children. Type 1, unlike Type 2, is not related to obesity or lifestyle factors. Gutierrez’s daughter, for instance, weighed a petite 50 pounds when diagnosed.
Marlen’s doctor misdiagnosed her condition initially, sending Gutierrez home with vitamins for her daughter. When she showed no improvement, Gutierrez rushed her daughter back to the doctor. The child’s breath smelled “fruity,” she was overeating and couldn’t quench her thirst — all symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, in which the auto-immune system attacks the pancreas and cripples its ability to produce insulin. by the time the girl entered the pediatric ICU unit at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, she was close to slipping into a diabetic coma, Gutierrez says.
Marlen was in the hospital about a week. A diabetic specialist and a dietician briefed her mother on how to proceed, but Gutierrez still felt lost and confused.
“I was still in shock,” she says. “They released her and gave me a month’s supply of medicine. They sent me out into the world with my daughter. I’m thinking, I don’t know what I’m doing.”
A book on the subject Gutierrez found was overwhelming and difficult to absorb. she learned about Edinburg’s RGV Diabetes Association, and decided Cameron County was long overdue for the same thing. on top of the help from the Edinburg chapter, Dr. Ruth Ann Plotkin, a Brownsville pediatric endocrinologist, has been working with the new group as an advisor.
On the heels of the April 9 meeting, this year’s May 1 Pedal to Padre cycling event will raise funds for the Brownsville chapter. Gutierrez says the diabetes association will sponsor some type of walk, run, weight training or other educational and wellness event once a month. Cooking classes are planned as well. Also, a “Dancing with the Stars Fundraiser” is slated for Aug. 27 at the Amigoland Event Center.
For more information about the RGV Diabetes Association Cameron County chapter or to help, call Mayte Gutierrez at 204-3530, email rg3069@aol.com or visit rgvda.com.