{"id":30189,"date":"2012-09-04T09:13:21","date_gmt":"2012-09-04T13:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=30189"},"modified":"2016-01-08T07:35:12","modified_gmt":"2016-01-08T12:35:12","slug":"d-dad-volunteers-for-life-for-a-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=30189","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Privilege: D-Dad Volunteers for Life for a Child"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Life<\/a><\/p>\n

After my two-year old son Sacha was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in early 2009, months passed before\u00a0 the fog of fear and uncertainty began\u00a0 to lift. By fall 2009, however, I was able to think outside of my own family and our struggle, and I\u00a0 wondered: what did pediatric diabetes management look like in the developing world? My wife and I had worked for years in international human rights and development, and had often traveled to countries where the medical system struggled. It was hard for me to even begin to think about what type 1 diabetes management might look like in resource-poor countries.<\/p>\n

The night\u00a0 Sacha had a severe hypoglycemic episode, we used our glucometer, test strips, glucagon injection and cellphone to diagnose, treat and call for help. Paramedics swarmed the house, and our endocrinologist\u2019s soothing voice talked us down. I went back to sleep that night feeling relieved and grateful for the tools and care we had. But, how, I wondered, did parents deal with similar incidents in poor countries? Were insulin, needles, test strips and glucagon readily available? What about middle-of-the night expert advice?<\/p>\n

I called our local JDRF and Canadian Diabetes Association, confident they would have some kind of project we could help support.<\/p>\n

To my surprise, however, neither organization had any idea. \u201cWe don\u2019t do that kind of thing,\u201d they said, and from their tone, I suspected I was one of the first in recent memory to have asked<\/p>\n

Confused, I called the American Diabetes Association and U.S.-based JDRF; surely, I thought, someone in the U.S. diabetes community would have some kind of program. Again, I drew a blank.<\/p>\n

After a few hours on the web, however, I discovered a handful of groups devoted to type 1 diabetes\u00a0 in the developing world. I found aparticularly impressive website run by the Australia-based Life for a Child<\/a> (LFAC), an affiliate of the Brussels-based International Diabetes Federation.<\/p>\n

Acting on impulse, I sent its director, Dr. Graham Ogle, a spontaneous, nighttime email, one I thought I might\u00a0 regret. \u201cI\u2019d like to donate money,\u201d I wrote, \u201cbut would also like to help out in other ways. What can I do?\u201d<\/p>\n

The ever-courteous Dr. Ogle wrote back a few days later; ever since, my life has changed for the better.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ogle initially wanted to work with my wife, who then worked as a senior development officer at a Canadian donor agency. As an academic, however, I had a more flexible schedule, so he suggested that I visit a few LFAC supported clinics. The group sends donations of insulin, supplies and money worldwide, but Dr. Ogle and his small staff can\u2019t visit all of their partners as frequently as they might like.<\/p>\n

My first LFAC volunteer trip was in 2010 to Nagpur, located in the exact center of India. I traveled with two endocrinologists from Sacha\u2019s clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario,\u00a0Drs. Alexandra Ahmet and Caroline Zuijdwijk.<\/p>\n