20th Annual Tour De Cure for Diabetes in Grafton

One in three children born after the year 2000 will have one form or another of diabetes. Of that number, 9 percent have Type I Diabetes. And that number is growing.

Eleven-year-old Sarah Mazdra of Ladue is one of the unlucky ones. Sarah, who is in the fifth grade attends Central Christian School in Clayton, along with her twin sister Lea. Her sister does not share the same disease.

“Children who have diabetes tend to grow up quickly,” her mom, Delana said.

Precocious by nature, Sarah has a vocabulary and a grasp of medical terms and procedures well past her given age.

She can tell a visitor all about controlling her blood sugar, counting carbohydrates and wearing a wireless and tubeless insulin pump and a sophisticated Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) around the clock.

The monitor is affixed to her body with adhesives, so sticky they routinely leave marks on her skin.

Although Sarah can do things like riding a bike, camping, swimming and taking a long walk, it takes advanced meticulous planning to prepare for these activities.

Nothing comes easy for this pre-teen youngster.

Because of her aptitude and her ability to mount a podium and speak to groups of more than 500 people, she’s been selected a junior ambassador for the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

This insidious disease doesn’t get her down. She knows the consequences all too well. “I have to be on these monitors and measure my intake and take care of myself or I would die,” she said.

The downside risks are many. Diabetics have gone blind, lost limbs, had heart attacks or experienced pancreatic failure. A little thing like a cold or flu can mushroom into a full-blown crisis. “When I catch a cold, that totally throws my blood sugars off. That means a lot more blood sugar tests and ketone testing becomes much more critical,” Sarah said.

Sarah points quickly to the fact that Juvenile Diabetes or Type I is altogether different from the Type II variety.

Sarah has to do the teaching at school. Central Christian does not have a school nurse, and she educates her teacher about the risks of having diabetes, and how best to deal with her prognosis, day to day.

Both Sarah and her mom quickly point to the fact there is no cure for this disease. However, going to the doctor (endocrinologist) is not a regular part of her routine. She goes just three or four times a year for full checkups.

What she gets to do is go to Diabetes Summer Camp in Fredericktown, MO. She loves that. “I get to go to camp with other kids who have diabetes. We have a lot in common while understanding each other’s problems,” she said.

The Mazdra’s are big supporters of the ADA. Sarah recently gave a talk to a group at Lumiere Place Casino and got a standing ovation at the conclusion of her remarks.

As her mom said, “The ADA does a lot of good things for children with diabetes. They train nurses in schools to help children deal with this disease. Sarah was born with diabetes, though not detected until she was older, and will never outgrow it in a lifetime."

She’s a straight A student with a positive attitude that could make a soldier stand erect. She’d certainly prefer a cure but realistically knows that likely won’t happen. In the meantime, she will continue managing her affliction and be a kid, just like any other 11 year old ought to be.

The 20th annual Tour De Cure for avid cyclists will be held along the River Road in Grafton, Il. June 4. Money will be raised to fight this disease that effects more than 25 million Americans. Sarah Mazdra and the rest of her family will be there, helping out. learn more at www.diabetes.org/tour.