HOW DO YOU FEEL? Health Happenings... A Place Called Home Gala To Honor Josh Goldstine, Kenneth Karmin A Place Called Home’s annual “Gala for the Children” on Nov. 19 in The Beverly Hilton will honor Universal Pictures’ Josh Goldstine and Ortho Mattress’ Chief Kenneth M. Karmin. The event is expected to host more than 750 guests and raise more than $1.5 million for the 22-year-old South L.A.-based nonprofit, which provides a safe haven of opportunity for underserved youth. Goldstine, president of Universal’s Worldwide Marketing, receives the “Children’s Inspiration Award” while Karmin, Ortho’s CEO/chairman will get the “Debrah Constance Humanitarian Award.” Dinner chairs are Barbara Glazer, Dawn Taubin, Maryellen Zarakas and Stephanie Goldstine while honorary co-chairs are Michael Moses, Bruce Newberg, Howard Sherwood, Marc Shmuger and Louise Hamagami. Kevin Frazier will be emcee. For information, visit: www.apch.org.
‘Jazz And Funk Night’ To Benefit CHLA A “Jazz and Funk Night” benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3 at King King, Hollywood, 6555 Holywood Blvd. The packed evening of live music with Buddy Sampson and Friends will feature Rachel Grace on electric violin, Crystal Mantecon on vocals and performance art, and special guest artists. Also in the line-up are The Jazz Scribes, jazz and music critics who are accomplished musicians in their own right. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door and guests are encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift for the toy drive. Tickets may be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buddy-sampson-presents-jazz-and-funk-benefiting-childrens-hospital-los-angeles-with-esther-canata-tickets-19022925081. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1508262526151163/ or call 323-919-2848.
BEVERLY HILLS COURIER | NOVEMBER 13, 2015 Page 12
H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S
Diabetes Awareness Vital For CHLA Doctor, Patient During National Month, And Always November as National Diabetes Awareness Month has even added importance for Dr. Jamie Wood, medical director of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ (CHLA) Comprehensive Diabetes Center, and patient Vivian Bui. At any given time, Wood reports there are approximately 2,000 children in the center; about 1,700 with Type 1, an autoimmune disease where the body attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, and 300 with Type 2, associated with obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and insulin resistance. And incidence rates are increasing Wood says, with a study showing a 20-percent rise in Type 1 and 30-percent rise in Type 2 over eight years. An authority on Type 1 diabetes, she urges parents to be aware of symptoms including increased thirst and urination, weight loss, fatigue and bed wetting in children who had stopped. “If a child is experiencing flu like symptoms of vomiting and dehydration, it could be diabetes,” says Wood. Awareness is vital, Wood says, “because we’re seeing some very, very sick kids and some are
dying.” Undiagnosed and untreated, the result can be diabetic ketoacidosis “where blood sugars go very high and the blood becomes acidic,” she says. Dr. Jamie Bui, now Wood 15 and attending Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School near USC, was diagnosed at 10, when her mother became concerned about her being tired all the time and “too skinny.” Now Bui’s one of the many patients who must monitor her blood sugar eight times a day, count all the grams of carbohydrates she eats, give herself insulin and adjust the amount relative to how much food and exercise she gets each day. Bui has benefited from options and advances in treatment like the insulin pump she carries her back pocket. “I make people guess what it is,” Bui jokes. “A lot of people think it’s an MP3 player.” If Wood and other doctors continue to work in the field, patients could see an
artificial pancreas available in the next several years. Bui also had to manage her diabetes while undergoing Vivian Bui chemotherapy to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma (cancer of the upper throat behind the nose), diagnosed when she was 13. Her blood sugar was balanced with glucose through an IV. “It was really, really difficult,” says Bui. “I don’t think I could have done it without my mom, brothers and CHLA nurses.” Bui’s become a hospital Junior Ambassador, member of Teen Impact, a support group for teens with cancer and blood disorders, speaker at fundraisers and cheerleader for other cancer and diabetes patients. “I tell them it’s not easy,” reveals Bui. “Diabetes is a disease you will live with for the rest of your life. So you have to keep fighting and know that it’s not what makes you.” —Steve Simmons.