Fighting diabetes:Paz doesn’t live like normal second-grader

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard(McMinnville, Tenn.)

Second-grader and diabetic Aprile Paz, 7, checks her blood sugar by pricking her finger as classmate Rachael Tieman, background, watches. During the school day, Aprile has to check her blood sugar at least three times. (Will Stewart photo)

Judging by appearances, 7-year-old Aprile Paz seems as healthy as the rest of her second-grade classmates at Hickory Creek Elementary. She learns, plays and talks like any normal second-grader. Appearances, however, can be deceiving.

Diagnosed with type 1 juvenile diabetes at the age of 3, Aprile’s life is a delicate one which must be monitored closely. Any drastic fluctuation in her blood sugar levels could quickly put her into a coma which could lead to death or brain damage. To prevent this, she receives at least eight finger pricks to check her blood sugar and four insulin shots every day – beginning at 4:30 a.m.

While her case is more severe than most, Aprile is one of 19 diabetic children currently enrolled in Warren County schools. Recent medical discoveries and technological innovations in the treatment of diabetes have presented the school system with a unique challenge, one which, by all accounts, they seem to have met.

“It was bumpy at first. Dealing with a brittle diabetic like Aprile was unknown territory for the school system when she started kindergarten,” said Aprile’s mom, Melissa Paz. “Instead of getting Aprile ready for school, we had to get the school ready for Aprile.”

This included working hand in hand with the school system’s health services department to coordinate such things as Aprile’s daily insulin shot schedule and diet while at school. At the beginning of every school year, the teachers who will interact with Aprile also have to be educated as to the particulars of her disease, signs to look for, and how to combat a diabetic low should it occur.

While these efforts are a challenge, school system health services director Lesa Duvall said every effort is made to make things as normal as possible for Aprile and the other diabetic students.

“Our first priority is to meet the children’s health needs,” Duvall said. “But we also want the diabetic child to have a normal day at school. We try to be as accommodating as we can and to help make it as good a situation as possible.”

A big part of that, she added, is educating and explaining the disease to classmates, which makes the diabetic students more understood and accepted. At Hickory Creek, a book by the name of “Taking Diabetes to School,” which explains the disease and that it is not communicable, is read to classes which contain a diabetic student.

Devona Clark, Aprile’s teacher this year, admits before the start of the school year she was a little nervous about having a diabetic student.

“It’s been a learning experience,” she said. “At first I didn’t know, but the kids are very accepting and it’s no distraction at all. She eats her snacks and checks her sugar. The kids are used to it. It’s normal for them.”

As Hickory Creek has five students with diabetes, Wednesday will see the school encourage students to give their snack money, and parents and teachers to donate, to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The foundation is holding its Walk to Cure Diabetes Saturday at Nashville’s Centennial Park.

Anyone interested in helping to fund diabetes research to find a cure can send a check made out to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in care of Melissa Paz, 74 West Laurel Ave., McMinnville, Tenn., 37110.