Courthouse turns blue

In recognition of world diabetes day

Bryan Marshall

Waco Elementary teacher Ragan Knuckles recently celebrated the three-year anniversary of her 3-year-old son Logan’s second chance at life.

“It was three years ago in October that he was diagnosed with (Type I) diabetes,” she said. “Upon reaching the hospital, he was in severe diabetic ketoacidosis. After an intense evening in the pediatric ICU, we survived. It changed our life.

“The doctors let us know that if we would have waited one more night, he wouldn’t be with us today,” said Knuckles, who has struggled with Type II diabetes. “As a mother, I never imagined that I would have to experience such a nightmare, especially with a child so small.”

Knuckles personal testimony was a part of the Madison County Diabetes Coalition’s recognition Wednesday of World Diabetes Day at the Madison County Courthouse.

In December 2006, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution recognizing diabetes as a chronic, debilitating and costly disease and designating World Diabetes Day as a day to be observed every year starting in 2007.

Madison Judge-Executive Kent Clark read a joint proclamation with the city of Richmond and city of Berea designated Wednesday in the county as World Diabetes Day.

While she said no two days are alike, Knuckles said Logan takes five to 10 shots of insulin a day, depending on the amount of his carbohydrate intake.

“It’s a 24-hour-a-day management and control,” she said. “There’s very few minutes that go by in a day when I’m not thinking about where is blood-sugar level are, how he’s feeling and how it’s affecting him.”

“Before we go to bed, the last thing I do is check his blood sugars. Then, I go and crank the baby monitor up so I can hear him breathing to make sure he’s OK through the night. He’ll probably have that until he’s 18. Some people tease us about if we’re going to try again for a girl because we have four boys. We tell them no because diabetes is our fifth child.”

In recognition of World Diabetes Day, more than 200 landmarks lit up in blue Wednesday, including some of the most iconic buildings in the world.

While the rain prevented the outside of the Madison County Courthouse from turning from white to a blue hue, the inside lobby of the building was lit up.

“Seventy-one countries across the globe are celebrating this event,” said James Rousey, public health director for the Madison County Health Department. “There are more than 200 different landmarks and monuments that are turning blue. Of the 17 in the United States, which includes the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and the Alamo, is listed the Madison County Courthouse.”

Martin Silink, president of the International Diabetes Federation, the organization that leads the World Diabetes Day campaign, said the buildings are lighting up to serve “as beacons of hope for the 246 million people living with diabetes worldwide.”

The Rev. Robert Blythe, pastor of First Baptist Church at Francis and Collins streets, also had a theory about why the lights were blue.

“When I was taking French at Eastern several years ago, one of our professors told us that blue was the color of the optimist,” he said. “I would certainly want to believe that this was no coincidence and no mistake that blue was chosen because we have a sense of optimism about the work that is being done to alleviate or to control diabetes within our community and within this world.”

Blythe’s late maternal grandmother and his mother were diagnosed with diabetes, and he said, “Being a pastor of a predominantly African-American congregation, I’ve seen some things which have certainly pained my heart as I’ve watched members of my congregation suffer with this disease.”

Michelle Malicote, school nursing supervisor for the health department, described the toll the disease has had on students.

There are 47 Type 1 diabetics and three Type II diabetics in the Madison County and Berea Community school districts, she said.

“Of these students, we have 18 children who have to have either direct monitoring or insulin injections every day at lunch time,” Malicote said.

An estimated 376,000 Kentuckians have diabetes, with more than 109,000 of these individuals remaining undiagnosed.

It is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and Kentucky and the sixth-leading cause in Madison County, Rousey said.

“The average cost of taking care of a healthy American is less than $3,000 a year,” he said. “The average cost of taking care of a diabetic is over $13,000. In Madison County, it’s estimated that we have 6,500-plus of our citizens who are diabetic. About a third of that number really don’t know that they have diabetes. So, it’s very important that people are screened for diabetes, and if they are diabetic, they get competent health education.”

Kentucky ranks seventh in the nation for the highest percentage of the adult population diagnosed with diabetes.

“This is the very first time that a noncommunicable disease has been recognized as being a global threat,” said Kim DeCoste, coordinator of the Madison County Diabetes Coalition. “But, the United Nations has come together to realize the impact that diabetes can have on the world. We know that more than 264 million people are living in the world with diabetes. Without action, these 264 million people will grow to over 380 million people in just a generation.”

Bryan Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@richmondregister.com or 624-6691.

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