Taking a walk to fight diabetes

October 6, 2008 at 12:10a.m.

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Diabetes Walk

By Sean Barron

One 12-year-old with the disease continues to be active in 4-H and sports, a team captain said.

CANFIELD — Aside from taking daily insulin shots and having his blood sugar levels checked several times a day, Danny Martin lives a life typical in many respects of most 12-year-olds.

Having been diagnosed with diabetes at age 4 has done little to slow down Danny, a seventh-grader at St. Charles School in Boardman. He plays football, basketball and baseball.

And that’s precisely the point, Danny and his mother, Megan Basile, say.

“Diabetes doesn’t hold him back,” Basile said. “We have a huge support system.”

Many members of that support network wore green shirts with Danny’s name attached and were among several hundred people who participated in Sunday’s Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes event at the Canfield Fairgrounds.

Danny, his parents and numerous relatives and friends made up Danny’s Dream Team, one of about 50 teams that walked to raise awareness of the disease as well as money for the American Diabetes Association to go toward prevention, advocacy and research.

Main goals of the event, which is at least 11 years old, were to have 500 participants and raise $80,000, a few organizers said.

Perfect weather greeted people of all ages, some of whom walked one mile around the fairgrounds. Others took part in a 3.5-mile walk that went along state Route 46 and U.S. Route 224.

For 11 years, Kellie Kirksey of Boardman has been a regular at the event. Her 14-year-old daughter, Kelsie Augustin, was diagnosed at age 5 with Type 1 diabetes, which is most common in youngsters.

Kirksey, a member of the Sisters in Touch team, said Kelsie is living with her grandparents and attending a preparatory school in St. Louis, and that her health is good.

“When she was young, we thought diabetes was a life sentence,” Kirksey added. “As she got older, we knew it was a way of life.”

This was the first walk for Kelsie’s father, Cesar Augustin, who received his diagnosis 14 years ago, and was one of about 10 members of the Aspen Dental Smile Squad team.

Augustin, who works for Aspen Dental in Boardman, said several co-workers also have been diagnosed. Being part of the walk was an opportunity for the employees to “step forward and do our part,” he explained.

Also walking on behalf of a youngster with diabetes was Missy Schmitt, team captain of 4 Alexis, named after 12-year-old Alexis Ohlin, a pupil at Holy Family School in Poland who was diagnosed at age 2. Another member of the team was Leanne Ohlin, mother of Alexis.

Despite Alexis’ “ups and downs,” the girl is a member of a 4-H club, plays soccer and is a cheerleader, Schmitt noted.

“She has a lot of support from family and friends,” Schmitt added.

Around 10 percent of those with diabetes have Type 1, which tends to afflict younger people, noted Jill Pupa, executive director of the American Diabetes Association’s Northeast Ohio market. Type 2, on the other hand, often has a genetic link, and lifestyle plays a role, she pointed out.

Even though obesity and a sedentary lifestyle often contribute to the disease, it’s important to avoid always assuming a direct correlation between a person’s weight and the disease, Pupa continued.

“Not everyone who’s heavy has diabetes, and not everyone who has diabetes is heavy,” she added.

Environment, heredity and personal health choices also can affect the disease, noted Sarah Pechaitis, a coordinator of the event. Regular checkups are recommended, she said.

For his part, Danny had a piece of advice for those who recently learned they have the disease: “It’s not that bad. You can live a normal life.”

Karen S. Cohen, the event’s corporate recruitment chairwoman, said that between 15 and 20 local businesses participated this year, including at least six new ones.

Cohen, who’s also a certified public accountant with Youngstown-based Packer-Thomas, said she got involved largely because of her father, Bill Allen, who was diagnosed 25 years ago and has had a series of health problems made worse by his diabetes.

The diabetes walk also featured a clown, a disc jockey and a variety of activities for children.