SAVVYkids | November 2020

News & Notes pg 32 | Caregivers Guide pg 37 | Meet the Parent pg 40

JOURNEY THROUGH TYPE 1 DIABETES

COMMITTED TO HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE CLASSROOM PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is a phrase that was not part of education just one year ago.

Now, COVID-19 instilled this phrase as a very important part of the education process in order to keep staff and students healthy. With this new requirement, teachers and administrators at Pulaski County Special School District are ďŹ nding fun and unique ways to teach students about PPE and encourage them to follow the guidelines set forth by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH).

All professional staff are required to wear a mask and a shield when students are present. Students in grades Pre-K through 12 are also required to wear face masks according to ADH guidelines.

Students are occasionally allowed to remove face masks for short periods of time when physical distancing can be achieved outdoors.

Meanwhile, all professional staff, students, and visitors are to observe physical distancing (6-12 feet) when possible. Classrooms, cafeterias, and other spaces have been rearranged to account for spacing recommendations.

Some classes are using creative methods to encourage social distancing, like zombie arms at Crystal Hill Elementary! Having students hold their hands in front of them, like a zombie, is a silly reminder to students to maintain a safe distance between them. Making games and having fun around these guidelines makes it easier for younger kids to understand.

Many schools are also featuring bulletin boards in the hallways that encourage social distancing and depict mask wearing. The bulletin boards serve as a reminder for students as they walk through the hallways at school. Schools have also added stickers on the hallway oors for students to stand on while waiting in line and put markings on the walls to encourage one way walkways.

The 2020-2021 school year may be a little different than previous years, but, rest assured, the staff at PCSSD is committed to providing a top notch education to our students.

ABOUT PCSSD Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 25 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County

pcssd.org 501.234.2000

since July 1927.

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

NEWS & NOTES

NOVEMBER 2020 GREEK LIFE

The Arkansas Center for the Book at the Arkansas State Library recently selected “Lifestyles of Gods & Monsters” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019) by Little Rock resident Emily Roberson to represent Arkansas at the 2020 National Book Festival.

Every year participating states choose a title for children or young adults that will appear on the Library of Congress’ “Great Reads” map. Selected titles are written by authors from the state, take place in the state or celebrate the state’s culture and heritage.

In this highly praised debut YA novel — said to be written in part at Boulevard Bread Co. in the Heights — Greek mythology meets the Kardashians as Roberson weaves a soapy, inventive retelling of a 16-year-old Ariadne.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park. In addition to European and African traditions, the foodways of the Southeastern American Indians helped shape the cuisine of the modern South. Join a park interpreter at Toltec to learn about traditional Southern foods inspired by Native Americans and sample a variety of dishes. Arrive early before the samples run out. The visitors center is open Tues-Sat 8am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. Closed on Monday. Tickets are $5 per person, 6 and under free.

CANCE

LED

FULL STEAM AHEAD AT MOD The Museum of Discovery’s mission is to ignite and fuel a passion for science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) through dynamic and interactive experiences. Whether you choose to visit the museum in person or virtually, the museum has a number of offerings that will engage kids and parents. MOD now offers “Family Field Trips,” public field trip programming for families, “pods” and homeschool groups. Trip programs, 30-45 minutes in duration, are public but have limited seating, so register in advance. Private family field trips can be scheduled through Beth Nelsen at 501-537-3073 or bnelsen@museumofdiscovery. org. Museum members pay $3, nonmembers $10 (includes all-day admission). museumofdiscovery.org

ALL FRIED UP

Camp Aldersgate is putting its own spin on curbside pick-up at this year’s fish fry. “Drive-Thru Fish Fry 2020” will be held 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. In traditional fish fry fashion, each ticket sold will include a delicious meal box with all the fixin’s.

This year, attendees will have the option to pre-order meals on the online ticketing website and pick them up at a drive-thru at OrthoArkansas, or purchase paper tickets/place day-of orders at an onsite drive-thru location at Camp Aldersgate. It will be Aldergate’s 37th annual fish fry.

Camp Aldersgate, 2000 Aldersgate Road, Little Rock; 225-1444; $15. www.campaldersgate.net/fish-fry

SAVVY kids PUBLISHER BROOKE WALLACE | brooke@arktimes.com

EDITOR KATHERINE WYRICK | katherinewyrick@arktimes.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE LESA THOMAS ART DIRECTOR KATIE HASSELL

A FAMILY’S JOURNEY THROUGH

TYPE 1 DIABETES

BY KATHERINE WYRICK

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

I

HARLAN, AGE 6, WAS DIAGNOSED WITH TYPE 1 DIABET ES AT AGE 3 AFTER HER MOM, SUSIE, NOTICED SOME OF THE WARNING SIGNS.

t’s an overcast fall day, the air thick with the coming rain, as I sit with Susie Dubois on her back porch in West Little Rock. The covered deck, which looks out on trees that back up to the house, offers a welcome refuge under the gray skies; there’s a vintage turquoise glider and jumbles of lovingly tended potted plants; the family rescue puppy, Finn, settles in with a stick on the brightly patterned rug. The screen door slams intermittently as the kids, Harlan (6) and Malcolm (8), emerge to cuddle the dog or lean into Susie; her husband, Justin, a nurse practitioner, occasionally sticks his head out the door to ask her a question about online school, which he’s handling this morning. A swing chair hangs in the corner that an exuberant, smiling Harlan jumps in and out of from time to time.

You’d never guess that this sweet, lively girl recently marked her third “diaversary,” diabetes diagnosis anniversary, on July 17. Before taking Harlan to the pediatrician that day, Susie knew that something wasn’t right.

Harlan was thirsty all the time and had started wetting the bed. In the doctor’s office, her blood sugar registered 451; a normal reading is around 90. They rushed her to the ER where they started an IV. To the amazement of the nurses, she didn’t shed a tear. Susie explained, “She has a high threshold for pain, and she’s very tough.” These were qualities that would serve her well in the coming months, and years, because Harlan was about to receive a life-changing diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

“The best metaphor I can come up with for those first few days in the hospital was that it felt like a tidal wave crashing over my head. ... I was in shock at first,” Susie said. “The attending doctor asked me if I’d cried yet.

I said no. She said, ‘It’s OK to cry. I would cry.’ And I was like, ‘My child’s right here, and I need to be strong for her.’ Justin, who was at work that day, came to stay with Harlan, and I went home and packed my suitcase, had a glass of wine, got in the shower and bawled. Just cried and cried.

It was hugely cathartic. When I got back to the hospital and saw Justin’s face, I said, ‘OK, now you need to go cry.’ And I still cry. I mean, you power through it, and you’re stoic, and do what you need to do, and then every once in a while you have to break down and cry. The nurses were incredible; I just kept saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this; I can’t do it,’ and they kept reassuring me, ‘You got this.’ ” Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. People with type 1 cannot produce insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels. Why the body’s immune system causes the pancreas to quit making insulin is not fully known, but genetics and environmental components are suspected.

Some 1.6 million Americans are living with type 1, including about 200,000 youth (younger than 20) and more than 1 million adults (20 years old and older). Five million people in the U.S. are expected to have it by 2050. It strikes children and adults suddenly and indiscriminately and has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. It is not preventable, and there is currently no cure.

It’s a puzzling, relentless disease that affects the whole family. November is Diabetes Awareness Month.

Susie recalled, “I remember talking with the nurse, and she said when one child is diagnosed with type 1, truly the whole family is. … Malcolm has to make a lot of sacrifices, too, that most 8-year-olds don’t have to make.” And, of course, parents have to live with the ongoing, pervasive stress of having a child whose health is in constant peril and flux.

Susie despairs when someone reaches out to tell her they have a friend who’s just received a diagnosis; through tears, she says, “I hate to hear that news ... but when I text or call that person, I say, ‘I’m so sorry to welcome you into this club that nobody wants to be in, but the silver lining — and there are silver linings — is the amazing community. ...

Type 1 families have each other’s backs.”

Susie described a kind of awakening of the heart that can occur after such a life-altering diagnosis. “The amount of empathy, understanding and compassion you feel for another family is profound ... because everything is changing ... everything will change. It opens something inside of you because it’s pain ... it’s grief. And, through time, those feelings open doors into a deeper sense of love. And that’s true for us, but it’s also true for Harlan. That child,” her voice catches, and she pauses before continuing, “ ... that child has so much compassion and resiliency, and that is such a beautiful thing.”

Susie also has immense gratitude for the resources and support she and Justin have — and for her marriage. “We don’t always get along, but we’re a team, so for that I’m deeply thankful. We might sometimes have different approaches, and we might disagree, but in the end we’re working together, for Harlan.” Also on her gratitude list: insurance, insulin and people who care — no small things. “But,” Susie adds, “it’s still a very lonely disease. And for people who don’t have what we have, it’s absolutely heartbreaking. Because it’s a terrible disease. You manage it, but you can’t control it. It’s one day at a time, sometimes it’s one hour at a time, and you just gotta roll with it.

“There are days I just want to crawl in bed and put a blanket over my head and wallow in self-pity, but I can’t because I have to show up.

There are days when Harlan says, ‘Mom, I just wish there wasn’t such a thing as diabetes.’ And I say, ‘Me, too, baby, but you know what? You are doing awesome every single day, and I’m right here with you every step of the way, and sometimes we’re going to be sad, and we’re going to cry, and sometimes we’re going to be angry, and that’s OK. You get to feel mad and upset.’ ... She has moments when she wants to rage, and I say, ‘Go for it. Don’t hurt anybody, don’t hurt yourself, but get it out because it makes me want to rage, too.’ ” Until there’s a cure, they manage with technology, in their case two devices: a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and a pump. The CGM, which Harlan wears at all times, checks her blood sugar every 5 minutes and has to be replaced every 10 days (not a pain-free process); it’s synched to an iPhone so Susie can check her readings. “It updates me every 5 minutes, and it tracks trends,” she says. “When we got the CGM, the Dexcom rep said, ‘This is going to blow your mind. You’ve been looking at Polaroid snaps, you’re about to have live feed 24/7.’

And it did; it’s amazing.”

It’s a rare moment when Harlan is device-free. “She always has things stuck on her body,” Susie said, but, thankfully, gone are the days when 10-15 finger pricks were the norm. Now they only have to do that on occasion. “Every carbohydrate that enters her body, we are counting it. She has her own formula of insulin that we set up with her endocrinology team, but that’s where the pump comes in. At the beginning we were doing a minimum of four shots a day. You want a snack? You have to get a shot. How much does that suck? She got an Omnipod pump at age 4 because it’s tubeless and waterproof, and we’re in the water all summer. Other pumps are more predictive, and hopefully we’ll do that in the future and have a little more latitude, but for now [it works].

‘We have amazing tools,

and I thank God for the resources, and I thank science, and there’s a lot of exciting research going on around the country.’

— Susie Dubois

“I am that child’s pancreas. Justin and I keep her alive. We have amazing tools, and I thank God for the resources, and I thank science, and, there’s a lot of exciting research going on around the country. The technology is getting better — and we love it and we need it — but, of course, we want a cure. It’s tough, though, because it’s such a weird disease; every diabetic is different, so what works for one person might not work for someone else, and what works today isn’t necessarily going to work tomorrow. It’s so nebulous.”

The organization JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) is the world’s largest nonprofit funder of type 1 diabetes research, and Susie applauds their efforts and the local chapter’s success at fundraising with the annual walk. JDRF also pursues new treatments, advocates for increased government funding for research, and works with academia, clinicians, insurers and regulators to get new therapies and devices to market quickly and safely. Susie noted that there are also smaller companies working to find a cure, so she remains hopeful.

Recent issues like the fluctuating cost of insulin and the coronavirus

pandemic have posed new challenges to those suffering from type 1 diabetes. Even with health insurance, Susie and her family paid well over $6,000 out of pocket last year for supplies and went into credit card debt. She said people have resorted to trading insulin with other families and hacking into old insulin pumps. It’s a closeknit community whose ethos is “let’s take care of each other and be problem-solvers.” That said, Susie knows she’s one of the lucky ones.

Through tears she said, “People are dying because of the cost of insulin.

It shouldn’t be this way. I shouldn’t have to go into credit card debt to keep my child alive.” According to JDRF, in the U.S., the price tag for type 1 associated diseases is $16 billion in treatment and lost income annually. Fewer than one-third of people with type 1 in the U.S. are consistently achieving target blood-glucose control levels. Three big pharmaceutical companies hold the patent to insulin and control costs.

“It’s greed. It’s evil,” Susie said, shaking her head.

As for COVID-19 and similar viral illnesses — such as the flu — they pose serious risks for people with diabetes, though type 1 doesn’t make someone more susceptible to contracting COVID. Still, Susie said, “There are so many unknowns with COVID. Maybe Harlan would get it and be fine. But I’m not willing to take that risk, so we’re very protective.” Susie notes that even pre-COVID, sending a child with type 1 diabetes to school was a harrowing prospect. Before the pandemic, she worked at Harlan’s school to be able to monitor her. The kind of vigilance the disease demands from parents is intense, and can’t always be successful. Susie once served tortellini for dinner, and it was difficult to measure. As a result, “Harlan almost started acting drunk; her pupils dilated; she started sliding down in her seat. When that happens, the adrenaline kicks in, and you spring into action and get a juice box in her mouth. And then 15 minutes later she’s fine … .

“This is one of the only diseases where you’re making life and death

decisions, you’re making choices or having to do these interventions all of a sudden. We do checkups every three months with our endocrinology team, who we love and need, but day to day we’re on our own.” It’s an emotional roller coaster. “It is; it’s traumatic,” says Susie.

“In a way it’s like PTSD, but it’s ongoing. That’s why you have to be stoic and resilient because you just can’t let the disease totally take over.”

Easier said than done — especially considering Justin and Susie haven’t had a full night’s sleep in years. Harlan’s blood sugar fluctuates during the night, so Susie and Justin take turns popping a juice box in her mouth as needed. “She drinks it in her sleep!” Of course, it’s harder for parents to fall back to sleep so easily and that can take a toll.

Susie, however, chooses to remain positive and hopeful. She finds solace in yoga, hiking, embroidering, reading and working in her garden. The whole family loves camping and the outdoors, and in their five years in Arkansas they’ve explored more of the state than most lifelong residents. They’re determined not to let the diagnosis keep them from doing the things they love. They also find a lot of support online, in Facebook groups for parents. “I can go to these people who are living the same reality we are and get immediate feedback — ideas, advice, snack suggestions” and, beyond that, a sense of community they didn’t know before.

“I can’t even remember what our lives were like before diabetes,” Susie said. “Harlan being able to go to the pantry, get herself a snack, eat whatever she wants ... I can’t even imagine that.” But she can imagine a bright future for her daughter — one in which there’s a cure.

At one point during the conversation, Harlan, attempting to jump in the swing chair, misses her mark and lands with a hard thud. She starts to cry, and Susie calmly goes to her, offering a comforting presence in a tender but not cosseting way, and soon Harlan is off and running again, the emphatic thwack of the screen door closing behind her.

Abuse Sadness Anxiety Self Esteem Emotional Storms happen more often than you think…

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Managing Your Child's

TYPE 1 DIABETES

W

hen your child has diabetes, the body does not produce or respond to insulin, the hormone that breaks down sugar and carbohydrates into energy. This leads to high levels of glucose in the blood.

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune condition. The body attacks its own cells in the pancreas until they can no longer produce insulin. The only treatment for Type 1 diabetes is insulin replacement. If left untreated or not well managed, the extra sugar in the blood can damage blood vessels in the eyes, nerves and kidneys, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Tips for the School Year

PE Class and Exercise Exercise can help keep blood sugars in recommended ranges. Increasing activity allows the body to use up excess glucose for energy instead of causing high blood sugars. Your child may need an extra snack with exercise, which is why it is important to monitor blood glucose levels before and during exercise. Intense exercise can affect your blood sugar for up to 24 hours.

Sick Days Patients with diabetes can take the usual over-the-counter medications like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or Benadryl. Be aware that many liquid medications contain a sweetener. If your child can take a pill, that is a good option. When your child is sick, ensure they are staying hydrated and check for ketones every 3-4 hours.

Student Drivers When your child with diabetes is learning to drive, it’s important they take extra steps as part of their driving routine.

They should always check their blood sugar before driving.

If their blood sugar is less than 100, they should eat a snack and wait to drive until their blood sugar is more than 100 and they feel alert.

Staying on Top of Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes is commonly referred to as a “moving target” – challenging to pin down and always changing. It’s important to visit your child’s pediatric endocrinologist every three months to maintain good control of blood sugars and adjust insulin and medication doses. Children’s medications and insulin needs can change over time, especially as children grow and become teenagers. In addition to medication management, our team also helps children understand their role and responsibilities with diabetes management as they get older.

Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or cannot make enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal.

Type 2 diabetes often affects children who are obese. Fat, liver and muscle cells can become insulin resistant.

Treatments include weight management, proper nutrition, and exercise. If blood sugar levels are high enough, insulin is a first-line treatment.

To request an appointment with the Arkansas Children's Diabetes Clinic, visit archildrens.org/DiabetesAR or call (501) 803-6005.

CAREGIVERS NEED CARE TOO

I

n honor of National Family Caregivers Month, whose theme is “Caregiving Around the Clock,” we celebrate the caregivers among us—and there are many. November is dedicated to recognizing, supporting, and empowering those who care for others—a vitally important role that at times goes unappreciated or unseen. According to AARP, there are nearly 500,000 unpaid family caregivers in Arkansas--a “silent army that performs Herculean tasks for their loved ones.” The CDC reports that Arkansas is one four states with the highest prevalence of unpaid caregivers. Many of them are trying to balance those duties with full-time jobs and other family responsibilities. When you add a pandemic and online school to that mix, it can feel like a heavy load—maybe more of a Sisyphean than Herculean task.

Caretaking can take many forms. Whatever your role is, we hope these local resources for aging, children with disabilities and mental health help.

“There are only four kinds of people in the world: Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.”

— Rosalyn Carter

ELDER INDEPENDENCE HOME CARE 5200 state Hwy. 5 North, Suite 5 Bryant, AR 72022 501-847-6102 elderindependence.com

ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL (ACH) 1 Children’s Way Little Rock, AR 72202 501-222-1561 Arkansas Children’s Northwest, 479-279-1751 archildrens.org

CARELINK 706 W. Fourth St. North Little Rock, AR 72114 501-372-5300 info@carelink.org carelink.org

Heartache Christmas

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Meet the Parent:

APRIL GENTRY-SUTTERFIELD April Gentry-Sutterfield is the mother of three hilariously power-packed children — Clem (12), Blythe (8) and Hollis (6) — and the wife of Spencer Sutterfield, or “SutterButter” as some of his Parkview Arts Science Magnet High School drama students affectionately call him. She’s also the director of Arts Integration Services, a business that partners with cultural institutions and nonprofits to create arts-based programs for schools and families. Visit artsintegrationservices.com for more information.

How do you organize to balance work and family?

Balance — ha! I think we’re like most families right now. There’s an increased level of anxiety everywhere. My husband is a proud drama specialist at Parkview Arts Science Magnet High School, but he’s working like he did his first year of teaching because he’s creating all new content in a format for which there are no best practices yet — and still trying to create theater opportunities for students in this environment! I wouldn’t dare say we’re “balanced,” but we do prioritize each other. There was a time when it felt like several couples we knew and loved divorced once they got their kids through a certain stage of life. I looked at Spencer one night and said: “You know, I want us to last longer than the time it takes to get our kids from one stage to another.” And we made a decision right then and there to prioritize our relationship with each other — what we committed to before these little weirdos came into our life — over and above our relationship to each other as mere co-parents.

What’s your biggest parenting challenge?

I’m answering these questions at 11:56 on a Sunday night because my family spent the day out in nature in spite of — or maybe because of — our workloads. Now, more than ever, we need the natural world. In a time when live, sensorystimulating activities like shopping, schooling, churching, friending and so much more have gone virtual, climbing rocks and wading through a creek really shock the system in the best possible way. We want

our kids to experience that, so they understand life is more than striking keys on a laptop.

What does school look like for your family this year?

I’m virtual schooling our three amazing children during the day.

Their teachers at Forest Heights STEM Academy are doing such good work. Can you imagine what it’s like for all these teachers to be observed nonstop by parents and who knows how many people every day? I’m so impressed by their skill

and creativity in facilitating both students in the live classroom and on the screen and the grace with which they handle parents like me with lots of questions.

What are your favorite “family time” activities?

Arkansas is such a beautiful state that you’ve just got to get outdoors! We love to kayak, camp and explore new natural spaces.

We recently discovered The Nature Conservancy’s William Kirsch Preserve, a beautiful oasis on the edge of suburbia in West Little Rock. My kids love walking through the fields of jimson weed and hiking along the Little Maumelle River.

Name three things that are helping your family get through 2020.

As I’ve already said, cool natural spaces, [including TNC’s] Rattlesnake Ridge, have saved us during this pandemic! Since my

husband and I are both artists, we are deeply missing live theater and music, but we are so thankful for the arts still available to us. Our family does more movie nights now (you should have seen us watching “Hamilton”!), and we are reading the “How to Train Your Dragon” book series, which I highly recommend. There’s a kind of messy, hilariously irreverent, indie-punk vibe to the book series that the movie just doesn’t capture.

Then the phrase coined by Tom and Donna on “Parks and Recreation,” “treat yo’ self” is regularly heard to justify the pickle chips and jalapeno Cheetos and dark chocolate we regularly consume right now!

How do you recharge? What does your “me time” look like?

I find I’m recharged by very tactile, bodily kinesthetic activities like exercise and DIY projects.

Morning exercise to motivational music is actually essential for my mental health.

THE SUTTERFIELDS LOVE SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS. PICTURED HERE: BLYTHE, CLEM, HOLLIS, APRIL AND SPENCER AT THE NATURE CONSERVANCY’S RATTLESNAKE RIDGE.

Arkansas National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program

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