DISEASE DOESN’T DIVIDE FAMILY

Miss Allissa Leggio is a happy, active, and special ten year old. Allissa is a triplet and she and her brothers Brandon and Tyler attend Episcopal School in Baton Rouge. The trio live with their Mom and Dad, Darrel and Kathy Leggio, who own and run Brewbacher’s Restaurant in Gonzales. The Leggio’s are a typical south Louisiana close-knit family who spend most of their energy and time happily together. So when March 20, 2008 arrived it seemed to be another routine day for this happy group.

Soon after she awoke that day, Allissa told her mom that she felt a little ‘shaky’. There seemed little reason for concern and Kathy told her to eat breakfast and then see how she felt. Initially, Allissa felt better after eating, but soon she was once again ‘off’ a little. Mom told her that she would be going to the doctor’s office just ‘to be safe’. But Allissa’s regular doctor was not available that morning so she had to see another doctor who noticed something ‘odd’ during her examination of the young girl. She ordered some tests and the results of those tests confirmed her suspicions. Kathy Leggio, the unsuspecting young mom, was devastated as the doctor informed her that her daughter was diagnosed with the chronic disease type 1 diabetes. Overwhelmed with worry, Kathy broke down in tears as the doctor told her about her child’s illness. Allissa meanwhile, heard only the ‘Di’ part of the word diabetes, saw her mother crying, and asked her mom if this meant she was going to die. At the time, Kathy did not realize the seriousness of the disease and she comforted her daughter, with the doctor’s help, telling Allissa that she would be fine and that it meant that she would have to change her diet and monitor her food intake and her blood sugar levels, but everything would be alright. While that was true, Kathy could not have imagined how significantly this news would change her life and the lives of her family.

Diabetes (medically known as diabetes mellitus) is the name given to disorders in which the body has trouble regulating its blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, also called ‘juvenile diabetes’ or ‘insulin-dependent diabetes’, is a disorder of the body's immune system -- that is, its system for protecting itself from viruses, bacteria or any "foreign" substances. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body's immune system attacks and destroys certain cells in the pancreas, an organ about the size of a hand that is located behind the lower part of the stomach. These cells -- called beta cells, normally produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body move the glucose (sugar) contained in food into cells throughout the body, which use it for energy. But when the beta cells are destroyed, no insulin can be produced, and the glucose stays in the blood instead, where it can cause serious damage to all the organ systems of the body. For this reason, people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin in order to stay alive. This means undergoing multiple injections daily, or having insulin delivered through an insulin pump, and testing their blood sugar by pricking their fingers for blood six or more times a day. People with diabetes must also carefully balance their food intake and their exercise to regulate their blood sugar levels, in an attempt to avoid hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) reactions, which can be life threatening.

The news was devastating to the Leggios. For her part, Allissa was nothing short of amazing. Almost immediately, she focused on the fact that since everyone would have to change their diet to include a more healthy approach to eating, she knew the news would serve to draw her family even closer and if it meant a healthier life style for all of them, she was ready to tackle anything. But it has been tougher than any of them had thought. Today Allissa and her parents must closely monitor all of her food for its carbohydrate amounts, (carbs are turned into sugar when digested by the body). These carbs directly affect Allyssa’s blood sugar levels and determine how much insulin she should inject. The process is demanding, time consuming, wearing, stressful, and life-threatening. Allissa and her parents must check her blood sugar levels every two hours around the clock. There are many factors that effect a change in blood sugar and in young people, growing at an accelerated rate, extreme hormonal changes make the situation acute. It has been almost a year since these loving parents have enjoyed a full night of sleep as Allissa must be checked throughout the night as well. For now, aside from feeling tired constantly and enduring the other affects of sleep deprivation, the Leggio’s are focused on the joy and beauty in their lives. The development of their three children continues to be their focus and they have taken it upon themselves to search for ways to help fight for a cure for this devastating disease. Kathy and Darrell decided to host a fund raising event at Brewbachers in Gonzales in the hopes of raising the awareness level in Ascension about this terrible affliction. Many local companies donated a wide variety of sporting and tailgating items for raffle and the Leggios raised over $6000 for diabetes research. Among those raffle items were four LSU Football tickets to the LSU/Alabama game last fall. Mr. Tommy (Bama) Aldridge won the tickets, sold them for $1000 and donated the money to the cause. Allissa’s uncle, Mr. Kyle Flettrich who donated the tickets, wanted to further contribute to the fund raising and so participated in an event called ‘Ride for the Cure’ where he raised a significant amount of money to add to the fund. Allissa and her brothers got into the act as well when they decided to set up a lemonade stand to raise money. They were quite successful selling over $800 worth of lemonade…a job well done for these young entrepreneurs.

A diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes is hard on families as they learn to cope with a number of changes in their lives. While people care, it is all too common for them to ask questions that reflect a lack of knowledge about type 1 diabetes, such as’When will she outgrow it?’ It can be frustrating to explain the battle that all families face every hour of every day. That can be compounded by having to deal with people’s common misunderstandings and misperceptions including the widely-held belief that type 1 diabetes is not a serious disease. Taking insulin keeps people with type 1 diabetes alive, but it does not cure the disease. Progress toward finding a cure continues, but there is still no cure for diabetes. While obesity has been identified as one of the potential causes of type 2 diabetes, it has no relation to the cause of type 1. Scientists do not know exactly what causes type 1 diabetes, but believe that both genetic and environmental factors are involved. Eating too much sugar is NOT a factor in the cause of type 1 diabetes. Limiting sweets will help people with type 1 keep their blood sugar under control, but with the advice from their doctor or nutritionist, sweets can fit into their meal plan just as they would for people without diabetes. (There are times when sweets are a must: if the blood sugar level drops too low, sweets can be the surest way to raise it and prevent hypoglycemia). Physical exercise is important for everyone’s health, and is especially important for people with diabetes. Regular exercise helps lower blood sugar levels and keeps them in target range.

Type 1 diabetes, also known as “juvenile diabetes, is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults. However, people may develop type 1 diabetes at any age. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adulthood, but increased obesity and other factors have led to a recent ‘epidemic’ of this form of diabetes in young adults and children under 10.

For now the Legios, and all families with individuals diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes must deal with this disease every hour of every day. There have been many advances made in the equipment and methods used to monitor blood sugar levels in these patients but it is a difficult and laborious task that must constantly be met for their survival. In Allissa’s and in many cases the proper diagnoses could have meant the difference between life and death. The doctor who substituted for Allissa’s regular doctor on that fatefull spring morning, Dr. Bankston at the Baton Rouge Clinic, happened to be in-tune with the signs and symptoms of this terrible disease. That awareness may very well have saved the life of one precious little girl and for that the Leggio’s are eternally gratefull. There are however too many patients whose stories do not turn out so well. The answer is for research to find a cure for all forms of diabetes and for more people to become aware of the signs and symptoms of this terrible affliction. The research takes money and the Leggios continue to do all they can to help raise money for this research. If you would like to contribute to this cause or for more information on all types of diabetes and to learn more about the symptoms exhibited by people who are suffering from the onset of diabetes, log on to www.jdrf.org to learn how you can help Allissa ‘Race for the Cure’.