LOCAL GIRL, FAMILY COUNT BLESSINGS, RAISE DIABETES AWARENESS

Columbus– Filled with faith and good stewardship, Rachel Burns and her parents and four siblings strive to raise diabetes awareness in their hometown.

Diabetes can be a devastating disease if left untreated. It costs Mississippians an estimated $2 billion annually. It affects over 800,000 Mississippians, and at the current rate, one in three children will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

That’s exactly what happened to Rachel, who at 10 years old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. With no family history of diabetes, the diagnosis came as a complete shock, her mom, Jo Lynn, said.

“I’m a nurse, and I never noticed,” said Jo Lynn Burns, who first spotted her daughter’s extreme tiredness and thinness before making a check-up with Rachel’s pediatrician.

The doctors immediately sent her to the hospital, where they diagnosed her, Burns said. Shortly after the diagnosis, the family began attending support group meetings and training sessions, where they learned about the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi (DFM).

“We wanted to find an organization that we could support as a family,” Burns said. “And for us, the answer was clear– the DFM.”

Since Rachel’s diagnosis almost six years ago, the family has collected money for the DFM as
well as encouraged family members and friends to support all the efforts of the organization.

Burns admits that God works in mysterious ways in her family’s life.

  “One of my biggest fears as a nurse was diabetes,” she said. “Through Rachel’s diagnosis and God’s grace, I have overcome my fear.”

Taking diabetes in stride, the family had a few challenges to deal with initially, including a strict meal regiment, extra doctors’ appointments and all of the diabetes medications, Burns said.

“At first, it was very scary,” Rachel said. “I didn’t know much about diabetes, but the Lord has helped me through it. I give Him all the credit.”

People cannot tell that she has diabetes, Burns said. Rachel never complains. She is discrete, and the insulin pump makes life easier for her.

Rachel has been on the pump for three years now, but her mom remembers life before the pump. This life involved checking blood sugar levels in the middle of the night and taking measuring cups with the family when eating outside of the home.

“Everything had to change,” Burns said. “It probably took us three to four months to adjust to this new life, but Rachel held her head up high and carried right on with her life.”

 Diabetes never stopped her from doing the things that she enjoys most.

“I love reading, playing and teaching piano, getting together with friends and being outside,” Rachel said. “I still have a normal life.”

Through it all, the DFM has helped and encouraged Rachel and her family.

One of the biggest services that the family has benefited from has been Camp Kandu– a biannual, weekend camp for children with diabetes.

Camp Kandu, at the camp Twin Lakes Conference Center in Florence, provided Rachel and her family with a weekend of beneficial diabetes management tips as well as an opportunity to meet other people living with loved ones with diabetes or experiencing the disease themselves.

“I loved Kandu,” Rachel said. “Everyone was so concerned and sweet.”

Camp Kandu provided the family with a wealth of information, Burns said.

Together, Burns, her husband Sammy and Rachel’s two younger siblings participated in the camp twice a year.

“We loved that it was so family-oriented,” Burns said.

Through all of the ups and downs of Rachel’s diabetes management, the family maintains that they are very blessed.

Because of the support of friends, family and the DFM, Rachel continues to do whatever she wants to do, her mom said.

“We learn something new everyday,” she said.

The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi (DFM) is the state’s only nonprofit health organization that provides diabetes research, information, patient services and advocacy, and its mission is to provide hope through research, programs and service to the 346,500 Mississippians with diabetes. Every dollar raised by the DFM stays in the state to support these efforts. In addition, 90 cents of every dollar raised goes towards the organization’s charitable purposes. The DFM is the one diabetes organization totally dedicated to all Mississippians– from our children to our seniors– who live with diabetes.

Rachel and her family encourage everyone to participate in raising diabetes awareness, including the upcoming Walk for Diabetes in Columbus on Sunday, Nov. 4. The Walk, which is a 3.1/5k or a one-mile family fun walk, will be held in downtown Columbus at the Riverwalk. Registration begins at 1 p.m., with the Walk slated to begin at 2 p.m.

Camp Kandu will be held Nov. 11 at the camp Twin Lakes Conference Center in Florence. Register early for Mississippi’s Walk for Diabetes and Camp Kandu by calling 1-877-DFM-CURE or visiting www.msdiabetes.org.