Don and Kristie May with their daughters Haley and Morgan May

“Make sure your kids get their physicals.” That’s the advice Don and Kristie May, parents of Haley and Morgan, have for all parents.

If not for their daughters’ annual exams on Tuesday, June 26, 2007, the Mays still might not know that Haley, has Type 1 diabetes mellitus, a serious, lifelong disease that develops when the pancreas can no longer produce insulin. According to Haley’s doctors, she may have ended up in the emergency room if the diabetes had not been detected at the annual exam.

Haley didn’t have obvious symptoms when she went for her exam. When a lab test showed high blood sugar, however, Haley’s pediatrician, Frank Walker, M.D., called Larry C. Deeb, M.D., a Tallahassee pediatric endocrinologist and immediate past president of the American Diabetes Association, Medicine and Science.

By 5 o’clock that afternoon, Haley was admitted to the pediatric unit at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. The Mays stayed for two days, going through a crash course in diabetes education and management.

“Putting them in the hospital reinforces that this is a very serious diagnosis,” Deeb said. “During their stay, they think about nothing else but diabetes. They watch videos, read books and learn basic survival skills.”

“It was overwhelming,” Don May said. “We were worried whether we would be able to keep up with everything.”

“You can get safe within 48 hours and it gives me a chance to schedule the family at the outpatient (Tallahassee Memorial) Diabetes Center for their next phase of education,” Deeb said. “It empowers them and gives them the confidence to manage their diabetes. If you don’t know how to manage it, you won’t manage it and you won’t take care of it. It has lifetime implications if it’s not managed. It is the leading cause of blindness and renal failure.”

Deeb is unique in that he talks to all of his newly diagnosed kids at 7 o’clock every morning for about the first three months after they are diagnosed. But, Deeb also stresses to his young patients, “None of this is more than you can stand.”

Perhaps it’s that message that has helped Haley, a poised, well-spoken sixth grader, take her diagnosis in stride.

“--Within 15 minutes of meeting Dr. Deeb, Haley gave herself her own insulin shot,” ----Don May said. “You hear stories about kids who don’t follow through, but Haley’s done a good job with it.”

“They taught me how to calculate my carbohydrates, measure my blood sugar and measure insulin,” Haley said.

After their discharge, the Mays followed up with Haley’s care at the Tallahassee Memorial Diabetes Center. The Mays agreed the Center boosted their confidence even further in managing Haley’s disease. “They outfitted us with supplies, showed us how to use them, taught us how to deal with low blood-sugar episodes, and helped us with every detail of day-to-day management,” Don May said.

When it was time for Haley to start school, the Diabetes Center stepped in again and helped develop a school-management plan. The Center works directly with the Leon County School System, to provide in-service training to school health aides and other staff.

“Leon County schools have been wonderful,” said Roberta Stevens, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at the Diabetes Center. “We provide a full day of training on diabetes to school health aides, providing examples and scenarios about managing emergencies, and assisting children with their school-care plan.”

Haley’s schedule is a little different than her classmates’, but she said teachers and health aides at Deerlake Middle School do a great job of helping her manage her diabetes without making too big of a deal about it or bringing too much attention to it.

“I leave class 5 minutes before lunch and go to the clinic to check my blood sugar. After lunch, I tell the nurse what I ate and we calculate my carbohydrates, and I give myself an insulin injection,” Haley said matter-of-factly. Haley also eats a snack around 2 p.m.

“My friends are really good about it,” Haley said. “If they see me do a shot, they either say, ’oh, that’s so cool,’ or ‘no thanks, I don’t want to see that.’ ”

Haley said her younger sister, Morgan, sometimes helps her with her injections by “priming” the injection pen, squirting a tiny bit of insulin out of the tip of the needle.

“I sort of feel bad for her, since she has to take four shots a day,” Morgan said.

The Mays said they have tried to include Morgan in every aspect of the family’s education on diabetes. “They’re very close and play together all the time,” Kristie May said. “It’s important for Morgan to know what’s going on.” Both take dance and like to play flag football.

Diagnosis and education were life-changing events for the Mays, but now they have adapted to a new sense of normalcy in their lives.

“We feel fortunate. We got the best care around with Dr. Deeb and the Diabetes Center,” Don May said. “Diabetes is manageable, but you can never turn your back on it.”

Haley stresses that adapting is essential – that’s how kids who have diabetes can keep doing what they want to do.

“I don’t want kids with diabetes to think they can’t do what other kids do,” Haley said. “You can do what other kids do; you just have to check your blood sugar. You can be whatever you want to be.”