Childhood diabetes changes the lives of children in Sinaloa

The life of a child and his family changes completely when the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is positive. It is not a myth that from that moment you will have to stop eating sugars and endless foods, in addition to receiving insulin injections, since your pancreas does not produce it by itself like the rest of the people. In the mind of the child, however, there are other concerns: “‘I’m going to be able to get married, I’m going to be able to study, I’m going to be able to work, I’m going to be able to have children, I’m going to be able to have children, I’m going to be able to eat sweets?'”, shared Cristina Armenta, director of Grupo Beta IAP in Sinaloa.This organization knows perfectly that feeling, since for 12 years he has been dedicated to helping Sinaloan families who have one more children with the condition. Changes in families Parents live another experience. Cristina Armenta shared that they usually carry on their shoulders uncertainty, fear, sadness, because they know that diabetes is a lifelong disease and that taming it requires modifications throughout the family. Read more: Chronic degenerative diseases, the other pandemic that claims lives in Mexico “I always tell you, yes you can live with diabetes, you can live very well, nothing more than we do need to change habits, change certain ways of living at home because you have to support children,” he said. Grupo Beta treats around 191 minor patients from the municipalities of Guasave, Salvador Alvarado, Ahome, Culiacán, Mazatlán and El Fuerte. “People who through the endocrinologists who serve at Social Security have contacted us. The idea is to get the help to all the people and that all the children have their glucometer, that they do not lack their test strips to measure their glucose, “he shared. This condition has no cure and the only treatment is based on insulin, which the pancreas of children stops producing and which must be delivered exogenously, through injections. Covid-19 and vaccines In the context of the pandemic, Grupo Beta has made special requests to the state government, such as obtaining the covid-19 vaccine for its adolescents, whose response was positive.
Armenta shared that a very successful campaign was made, and the Ministry of Health in the state responded without the need for amparos so that minors were immunized, recognizing their vulnerability. Now they are just waiting for the third doses. Unconditional support Cristina Armenta shared that Grupo Beta is like a family and they learn together from experiences, good and bad. An important group of volunteers including doctors, endocrinologists, nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, social workers, a whole multidisciplinary team, has joined their cause to care for children. Some of them offer free consultations, others with a 50 percent discount on their services and most patients have social security, either Issste or IMSS. He recognized that this condition regularly requires timely care and sometimes the health system delays children’s treatments a bit.” That is why it is sought that children have their treatment on time. We have a small insulin bank and sell supplies at cheaper prices. Supplies to measure glucose continuously, at least seven or eight times a day; before eating, after meals and in the early mornings to the little ones,” he shared. Being a private assistance institution, the director of Grupo Beta indicated that they do not receive support from the government, but they have as their main source of resources the sale of tickets for the draw that the Sinaloa Private Assistance Board makes year after year.” In order to acquire good prices of inputs, you need to make important purchases, by volume, to be able to give us a good price. And this activity, coupled with some cash donations from institutions, including in-kind donations for our members, have helped us to have enough funds to make deals with laboratories, medical providers and get good prices for our patients,” he shared. Children with type 1 diabetes in Sinaloa can approach the institution through its social networks, Facebook Beta Group of Children with Diabetes IAP. Read more: “chocolate” cars will be legalized starting next month in SinaloaThe Incidence DataType 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. The body’s immune system damages the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. According to the Senate, in Mexico there are about 542,000 children living with type 1 diabetes. 78,000 infants develop it every year. Older adults wait for more than 4 hours in Topolobampo for their payment of the Pension of Welfare

Original source in Spanish