Diabetic children in Ukraine describe themselves as suffering with diabetes. In America we say we live with diabetes. We have access to high quality insulin, education, and treatment for complications. The reality is much different in Ukraine. Diabetics use U-40 beef insulin, glass syringes, and know little about controlling their diabetes. Sometimes a diabetic doesn't know if there will be another bottle of insulin at the pharmacy when s/he uses their last bottle. Diabetes education is difficult to teach without adequate supplies. It is not uncommon for a child with diabetes to develop complications early or die before reaching the age of 25.

However, through the efforts of the Ukraine Diabetes Project there is hope as we are seeing transformation each year. We are seeing diabetic children smiling, no longer suffering from diabetes. Their attitude is changing. Their health is improving.

The first Ukrainian Diabetes Project clinic was set up in 1992 in Cherkasy. It provided education and one year's worth of insulin, syringes, and blood testing strips to 30 children. This past summer we served 450 children located in 3 regions. The word is spreading of our work and every year more regions request our services.

Our vision through direct diabetes education, is to improve diabetes health care in Ukraine, to help them change their attitude about the outcome of living with diabetes, to help them gain access to high quality diabetic supplies, to help improve the quality of life, and to end the needless premature deaths of children with diabetes in Ukraine.

This summer's Ukrainian Diabetes Project staff who traveled to Ukraine included Andrea Skrypka, a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and type I diabetic. Andrea founded the Ukrainian Diabetes Project when she discovered, by chance, the plight of diabetic children in Ukraine. Ellen Simpson MD, a retired pediatrician and co-founder of the Diabetic Youth Foundation/Bearskin Meadow Camp, has worked with children with diabetes since 1940. Dr. Simpson returned for the second year. John Kegel, a type I diabetic also returned for the second year as an assistant. Shama Roderick, registered dietitian joined the team this year. All volunteered their time to help teach, distribute supplies, and support the endeavor of the Ukrainian Diabetes Project.

The three clinics in Ukraine were organized through the Ukrainian Diabetes Project efforts were located in Cherkasy, Poltava, and Vinnitsa. A total of 450 diabetics received supplies and educational instruction. One hundred and fifty diabetics were served in each region. Through our educational classes each diabetic received enough insulin to last a year: 120 disposable syringes, 1460 blood testing strips, one Ukrainian diabetic manual, sugar free foods, and various toys.

The Ukrainian Diabetes Project has provided services in Cherkasy from 1992-1995, Poltava from 1994-1995 and Vinnitsa in 1995. Requests have been received from Ternopil, Kharkov, Donetsk, and Dniepropetrovsk to set up clinics in 1996. These regions are currently being considered.

Through the efforts of the Santa Rosa Sister City, the Ukrainian Diabetes Project was involved in a special project called Thematic Youth Exchange. This program was sponsored by Sister City International and involved a group of six diabetic teens to travel from Cherkasy, Ukraine to Santa Rosa, California and then continue with a ten-day stay at the Diabetic Youth Foundation Bearskin Meadow Camp/Teen Session. The teens were accompanied by translators and a local endocrinologist from Cherkasy. In exchange, a group of nine teens from Santa Rosa (three of whom have diabetes) traveled to Ukraine for an experience of a lifetime that included assisting the Ukrainian Diabetes Project efforts and meeting new friends.

One of the highlights of this summer's diabetic clinic involved the organization of the first diabetic camp in Cherkasy, Ukraine. A definitely new experience for both medical organizers and diabetic children, this venture proved to be a great success with noble cause. The Ukrainian Diabetes Project is committed to continue with the development and expansion of diabetes camps in Ukraine in order to increase and improve access to diabetes education and supplies to the diabetic children.

How was all this accomplished? Contributions from the following business' helped us obtain the supplies and services needed:

• Air Ukraine Airlines - cargo transportation
• Cherkasy City Officials - staff transportation
• Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. - blood testing strips
• Coalition Against Hunger - insulin storage
• Diabetic Youth Foundation - camperships
• Eli Lilly and Company - insulin
• Medisense, Inc. - blood testing meters and strips
• Russ Berrie and Company - toys
• Schultz Brothers - packing boxes
• Sherwood Medical - syringes
• United Airlines - cargo transportation

Channel 7 News, Salute of the Week
San Francisco Chronicle: Diabetic Takes Expertise to Ukraine, August 21, 1995.