THE CHARLES H. BEST DIABETES CENTRE
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Mission Statement
To keep our children, youth and adults living with type 1 diabetes healthy until a cure is found.
About This Cause
Founded in 1989 as a “first of its kind” centre in Canada, The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre serves over 400 children and 1900 adults from Durham Region and the GTA. There is no known cause and no cure for type 1 diabetes. We provide state of the art healthcare education. We teach and support self-management of this fatal disease; we are available from the time of diagnosis through all of life’s challenges; from sick days to pregnancies, from school days to work days and every day in between. Our interdisciplinary team includes, registered nurse educators, dietitians and social workers all working together with physicians to improve the quality of life for all patients and families. Statement of Need Imagine if you will that you are a young child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The new reality of your life can seem unbelievably overwhelming. Some of these challenges are: • 5,900 needles each year, every year for the rest of their lives. If you are diagnosed at age 6 and you live to age 85, it means an overwhelming 466,100 needles during your lifetime • Must count the amount carbohydrates in each piece of food eaten must be done so a correct dosage of insulin can be given prior to eating any food Over 300 factors can affect blood sugar levels, including weather, stress, hormones, illness and exercise. This makes every day a tricky balancing act when you are trying to keep your blood sugars in target range. A target range is critical as long term high blood sugars will cause major complications such as eye disease, kidney disease/failure and neuropathy. Low blood sugars have an immediate life threatening result if not treated quickly and properly. • Something as simple as a cold or the flu can quickly turn into a life threatening situation for a child with type 1 diabetes • A parent of a child with type 1 diabetes will wake up every 4-5 hours to test their child’s blood sugars to ensure they do not have a life-threatening blood sugar level which can quickly become fatal if it is not dealt with immediately Type 1 diabetes affects over 400,000 Canadians, or 1 in 400 school age children. This auto-immune disease strikes without warning and occurs when a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables individuals to get energy from food. Without multiple daily injections of insulin those living with this disease would not survive. For a child, a diagnosis can mean many days of missed school, separation from friends and the physical effects of living with high and low blood sugars. These children and teens can frequently face tough social and emotional experiences such as loneliness, isolation, denial, fear, anger and damaged self-esteem. These challenges can bring about problems in other areas of their lives that manifest not only in their physical health but in their relationships with their families, peers, and healthcare professionals and their overall psychosocial well-being. Families who have a child with type 1 diabetes are often forced to deal with financial, psychological and emotional stress along with the daily illness management issues. Typically one parent must leave the workforce in order to care for the medical needs of their child, and costs associated with managing type 1 diabetes can be quite high. This disease disproportionately impacts under-served communities where resources, health services and social supports are limited. Benefits of The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre Programs: Recent research has shown that patients receive care from The Best Centre have, • Increased knowledge about their disease • Fewer complications related to T1D as a result of good daily management • Improved methods to cope with their illness on a daily basis • Greater willingness to return for further treatment • Improved sense of self-esteem, feelings of normalcy, peer support and comradery • Alleviation of some feelings of stress and isolation, conditions that often accompany prolonged illness. Almost nothing can be more difficult for a parent than when their child is diagnosed with a serious illness. To think that their child will be dealing with these challenges so early on in and life and for the rest of their life can be overwhelming. The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre recognizes the needs that these children and their families face and we strive to create programs and services that reach out to them in ways that educate, empower, enhance and inspire their lives.