Diabetes doesn’t stop her

When McKynzie Golden was hospitalized last year, her mother said medical workers told her there were many signs of Type 1 diabetes —disorientation, dehydration and a smell.

Smell?

“It really surprised me,” Natalie Golden said. “They described it as a fruity smell (on the breath).”

But McKynzie’s situation was no bowl of cherries. Natalie Golden said McKynzie was taken Jan. 18, 2006, to Medical Center Hospital after vomiting heavily for several days. Initially, the family though it was a stomach bug, but they learned it was much more serious.

She was quickly diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis after having her blood sugar tested at 1127. Golden said a normal level is between 70 and 120.

McKynzie was taken via CareStar helicopter to University Medical Center in Lubbock. There, she saw a pediatric endocrinologist, a doctor who helped bring down the blood sugar level.

“We were scared to death,” Golden said.

While McKynzie recovered, it was just the beginning for the family.

“Then all the fun stuff started,” she said.

Before McKynzie could leave the hospital, she had to learn to give herself insulin shots. She pricks her finger to check her blood sugar six to eight times a day, and gives herself four to six shots daily. She also follows a strict dietary schedule.

“I was really scared,” McKynzie said, “afraid of everything.”

Instead of cake and ice cream at her birthday party, McKynzie’s friends get pickles.

But, aside from being a bit shy and missing out on many sweet treats, McKynzie, now 10, lives the life of a normal fifth-grader. She’s a Pepette (don’t call it a cheerleader) at LBJ Elementary and she’s frequently riding up and down the street on her bicycle.

“The doctor really stressed at the very beginning that her life doesn’t stop,” Golden said. “They really encouraged us to be active. Being active helps us with the blood sugar — to keep it in a normal range.”

And to show how diabetics can live regular lives, the Goldens will be participating in the American Diabetes Association’s second annual walk Sept. 29 in Odessa. Last year, they got together a team of 40 people for the fund-raising event, which had around 200 total participants.

“It’s just a time to get out there and visit with people,” Natalie Golden said. “It’s an overall good time. We have a great group of people.”

Around 13,000 children suffer from diabetes in Ector County, Joni Cox, the diabetes association’s West Texas director said. Of those, approximately 100 are children.

“It’s a very scary situation when your child is that sick and you find out they have (type 1) diabetes,” she said. “Because, in all honesty, your life will never be the same.”

Still, Golden said she is trying to figure out what this smell business is about.

“Even to this day, when her blood sugar runs high, I’ve never been able to smell it,” she said.

>> What: Step Out to Fight Diabetes

>> When: 9 a.m. Sept. 29.

>> Where: Memorial Garden Park, East 42nd Street and JBS Parkway.

>> Call: 570-1232.

>>E-mail: jocox@diabetes.org.