Last updated on March 16, 2016
By: Sara Keen, Editor-in-Chief
(Pictured from left to right: William Price, Derek Powell, Whitney Dickerson, Audrey Young, and Mackenzie Border. Picture by: Sara Keen.)
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, a group of five students gave a Diabetes Talk open for anyone interested in coming in the Carpeted Dining Room at 1 p.m. The students received an audience of approximately 20 people, students and faculty alike.
Mackenzie Border handed out diabetic-friendly cookies to the attendees, and everyone was given informative sheets that would be referenced during the presentation.
Derek Powell directed everyone from the cookie table to their seats and helped the presentation come under way. In addition, he took record of the number of people and the presentation itself for their Leadership Development class.
The presentation began with a few words from William Price, one of the students involved in the presentation. He explained that they were doing the presentation for the Honors Leadership Development class.
“We decided to have this discussion about diabetes because it isn’t talked about,” said Audrey Young as she opened her presentation, Type None: Diabetes Myths.
They covered the most common myths about diabetes, such as “people with diabetes can’t have sugar.” In reality, sugar can and should be eaten in moderation. Those with type-one Diabetes can control the intake of too much sugar with an insulin shot. Type-two often take supplements to keep their blood sugar down.
Whitney Dickerson then took the stand to share her personal experiences with diabetes. She shared about her family’s discovery of her brother’s diabetes.
Dickerson told the audience that she received a call while out for her birthday that her brother was taken to the hospital. After several tests, they discovered that he had type-one diabetes.
Dickerson expressed that the worst part was explaining it to her little brother that it was not a “one and done” treatment, but a lifetime of care.
“He was so excited when he finished his first set of shots, saying ‘I’m cured!’ But he really wasn’t. When my mom explained to him that there was no cure, and he had to deal with it for the rest of his life, he just started crying,” said Dickerson.
The students then transitioned to William Price’s mother, Angela Price, a nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to give a demonstration.
Angela Price had an orange and a syringe with her. She demonstrated to the audience how to give an insulin shot using the orange to represent the skin.
“Most people,” she explained, “give their insulin shots in the stomach because there is a lot of fatty tissue.”
After their presentation, the students took questions from the audience. They offered more cookies and provided additional information to anyone who wanted it.
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