Beleaguered parents of young children with diabetes ask province for help in schools

Parents of children in elementary school with Type 1 diabetes pleaded for help from the province Tuesday at the legislature.

Two mothers — one who has to leave her job at lunch, the other who had to quit her job altogether — in order to get to their children’s schools in time to make insulin-pump adjustments say other provinces, including B.C. and Nova Scotia, have trained school staff to help.

“It’s heartbreaking to have to gauge whether or not I can maintain my livelihood or my child’s health care,” said Christy Peterson, whose five-year-old daughter Lillian is on an insulin pump.

The pumps support better blood-glucose management, help reduce the risk of long-term diabetes complications and their use results in fewer insulin injections.

“Every day at lunch I go to her school and I administer insulin for her and then I leave,” Peterson said. “That has been happening since she was diagnosed at 15 months. Not everybody can do that — I’m extremely privileged that my work allows that.

“It really creates this two-tier system of have and have-nots.”

Stephanie Biegun quit her job, a 40-minute drive from home, earlier this year to manage her young son’s diabetes.

“Taking a two-hour lunch break just wasn’t feasible,” she said Tuesday. “It’s hard. I lost my insurance because I don’t have a job anymore. My son’s father owns his own business, so we had to purchase other insurance, which is extremely expensive with a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. Everything is pretty much out-of-pocket for us, and it’s expensive.”

She is in the process of filing a human-rights complaint.

“I think having to quit my job to give my son health care in school is not right,” she said.

Peterson told reporters that they’ve asked for help and have been told “we’re working on it.”

The parents were flanked by Progressive Conservative education critic Wayne Ewasko and health critic Kathleen Cook, who called on the province to enhance support in schools and child-care centres by introducing a mandatory standard of care recommended by Diabetes Canada for students.

During question period, Cook (Roblin) pleaded the parents’ case.

“Schools and daycares in Manitoba do not provide support for insulin administration at school, meaning parents have to leave work in the middle of the day to give their kids insulin, even when that just means pushing a couple of buttons,” she said.

“Will the minister of health and the minister of education commit today to providing insulin support in schools and daycares for children with Type 1 diabetes?”

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the province is reviewing Diabetes Canada’s recommendations and guidelines and “what needs to happen so that we have a Manitoba-specific plan. And, of course, we’re going to work with the Department of Education to continue that really, really important work.”

Cook noted that at least two other provinces require school staff to be trained to to help young children who can’t adjust their insulin pumps on their own.

“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel,” she said.

The health minister said after question period that Manitoba needs to take an approach “that meets the needs of every kid and every family that’s navigating diabetes as a diagnosis.”

“We know that there are kids who, maybe, have additional needs on top of diabetes — that we have to make sure folks are trained and skilled up to meet those needs,” said Asagwara, who didn’t provide a timeline.

“It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca