You know in the movies when they say “this person has diabetes! Quick, give them some insulin!.” They DON’T need insulin. A diabetes reaction (incoherent, passing out, tired, seizure) means they have had too much insulin and blood glucose is too low. They need carbohydrates - and fast! Think juice, candy, applesauce, etc. If you see someone with T1D having this reaction, give them sugar quickly. I can be a better school nutrition Director and serve these students better. Carbohydrate counts are important, especially to a newly diagnosed family. Understanding how the school cafeteria works and keeping an open line of communication is probably even more important. The families of students with T1D are likely utilizing the school nurse as their school contact because they might not know how or who to contact in the school nutrition office. School nurses can be absolutely wonderful (we’re so very lucky to have ours) or they can be a source of misinformation and frustration. Be a part of the solution for these families by offering yourself to be on the care team. These families do not have time to find you - but would be so incredibly grateful if you found them. Added sugars are not only the problem of students with T1D. They are unhealthy in excess for all students, but especially challenging for those with T1D. It is not uncommon in the T1D networks for parents to share school nutrition menus or interactions in a very negative light, which really hurts me to the core! We can do better by communicating proactively with families and nursing staff and taking a deep look at the nutrition standards and content of the foods we serve.
Can you imagine if even one of these blessings was not available to us?
The amount of success in this disease correlates so closely to the time and money invested. How incredibly sad is it that those without the blessings of time and money cannot have access to the same level of care? It’s truly shameful that we can’t see that all people deserve basic human right to life - and that includes the medication they need to survive and prosper at an affordable price. If people living with this condition, especially children, can endure the amount of work, sacrifice, pain, and stress that this disease can place upon them, my problems seem very small. These people, including my son, are truly heroes.
Have you heard about the latest high-quality training for school nutrition professionals from School Nutrition Foundation? LEAD to Succeed™ was developed in partnership with the Georgetown McDonough School of Business specifically for school nutrition professionals like you.
If I can leave everyone with one takeaway, it’s this: Have some empathy.
Not every student or every family started in this world in the same place nor do they have the resources that you may think they have or can get to be OK. No amount of preparation or hard work could ever prepare a family or a child for a diagnosis that they did not want or deserve. Take a pause to understand and respond with kindness to families who you may encounter, many of whom might be newly diagnosed. Believe them and trust them when they tell you what they need from you, that they know how to advocate for their child because they must do just that all the time. If we all took a little bit of time and patience to understand that every person’s life experience(s) are unique, we might see the world in a little different (and hopefully kinder) way.
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The challenges that a family with a student with any special needs, including T1D, face are immense. Those challenges include the workload, mental toll, and in so many cases the insurmountable financial difficulty it places upon a family. We are blessed with literally everything going for us: great insurance, family support, a job that gives so much flexibility, and more and it STILL at times feels like a nearly impossible challenge.
If I can leave everyone with one takeaway, it’s this: Have some empathy. “
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Lindsey Hill, RD, SNS MenuLogic K12, Founder, Chief Product Officer Director of Nutrition Services, South Madison Community Schools
F oundation Education, Research and Scholarship
Dana Clerkin Director
700 S. Washington St. | Suite 300 Alexandria, VA 22314-4287 phone: 703.739.3900 800.8877.8822 fax: 703.739.3915 email: dclerkin@schoolnutrition.org
Passionate school nutrition director / leader with over 16 years of experience in the industry. Lindsey created MenuLogic K12 to fill a gap in her own operation and those of her colleagues’ operations. Lindsey wanted a tool that would give her the confidence (through objective data analysis) to build better menus (higher participation, higher food quality, more financially successful). Lindsey works fast – and doesn’t want any tool to slow her down so she works diligently to ensure every aspect of MenuLogic K12 is a smarter, faster way to accomplish the goals we all share (happy, healthy students and bottom line).
www.schoolnutrition.org
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