The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - B1

TERRACE STANDARD

‘INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2

COMMUNITY:

Diabetes sneaks up on some

MY POINT OF-VIEW ARON STRUMECKI

The time machine HAD MY nose buried in a file on my I computer screen, one hand on the mouse, and the other searching for a cup of coffee buried somewhere under the pa- perwork on my desk, when someone called out my name. Still a bit punchy from lack of caf- feine and fresh air, it took a moment to regis- ter the voice coming from the smiling friendly guy standing in front of my desk, but it didn’t take Eong.

Tt was my old friend Lucas, someone who I , hadn’t seen or heard from since | had moved to , the Okanagan over 10 years ago. Lucas, the ° guy so lucky we called him “Flukus” for his incredible knack for finding iost quarters and abandoned cans of pop.

This was the guy who joked about being able to hit our friend Allan with a rock half a football field away. Of course he casually took aim, wound up and let flew. None of us doubted that he would miss — Allan was just way too far away.

No-one could have made that shot.

You can imagine our amazement when that small rock hit the side of Allan’s head like a smart bomb. We had more than a bit of open- mouthed amazement, especially after all of

‘us, Lucas included, tried to replicate that throw with absolutely no success, but with him, it was all par for the course.

“So, where are you living these days?” | asked him.

_ He laughed, “I always hate answering thal. I usually teil people I live in Taiwan, but the truth is most of the time I’m on the road. After I graduated from high school, | spent some time in Colorado, and then went to Vancouver for awhile before going to India for awhile.” He laughed, “I always wanted to go to there you know! After that, I finished my degree and have traveling and teaching English all over the place. It’s been great.”

“Sounds like it,” 1 replied. “It must be weird being back in Terrace, you must be in a bit of culture shock!”

“Weah,” he agreed, “I’ve been away for

about six years now, and It’s sort of like com- ing home, but sort of nat.”

“I can imagine,” says 1.

“But the cool thing is,” he continued, how you can sort of pick from where you left

off.”

After that, we ended up reminiscing, about — the usual stuff, and filled each other in how ” our families were.

It really was quite nice, and of course, it got me thinking about a whole bunch of things.

Sure, the walk down memory lane was to be expected, but the thing that I truly savored was realizing how strong the bonds of friend- ship can be.

It’s great seeing someone you haven’t seen in years, and knowing, as soon as the first hic- cup of uncertainty is gone, that you're right back where you were with them the last mo-

remembered immediately why we had become friends.’

inent you saw them — and as soon I as I heard him laugh, | remembered immediately why we had become friends when we were in grade school at Verilas.

Who'd have thought a simple thing like a laugh and a smile could become such an ef- | fective time-machine.

While in many ways I’ve never seemed to. recall my childhood in any semblance of de- lail, especially in comparison to my Dad; | Was amazed al the memories that came flood- ing up. 1 remembered a lol of things, including his father’s work-room stash of homemade wine and half-finished guitars, the family meditation room, and more than a few stories’ of mischief gone wrong.

I don’t think I realized until that moment : just what kind of an impact his frlendship had on me, or Whal a good friend he had been back then, either.

] wish we had had more time to catch up.

Unfortunately, work was calling, but I tell you | went home that night with a smile on my face, a happy heart, and more than a few fond ° memories on my mind. It was great. It was wonderful.

Above all else, that little encounter sure helped remind of one thing; just how much of | a blessing it is‘to have friends that last ai. lifetime. It made me realize, in many ways, : how incredibly lucky to have met/the friends

known

By JENNIFER LANG THINK YOU'D know if you had diabetes?

Think again, says Lilia Heslen- feld, a nurse who warks al the diabetes education clinic at Mills Memorial Hospital.

You may have had adult onset diabetes, or type I] diabetes, for years and not even know it.

“Sometimes people po to their doctor complaining about vision programs and tingling ‘in their leg and it’s already a complication,” she says. “Diabetes is chronic and it’s always progressive,” -

They coutd have had full-blown diabetes for up to eight years, she says.

How could they not know?

“The body really compensates

a lot,” she says, adding the pan- creas struggles lo produce more m insulin — the g chemical that regulates the amount of sugar, the fuel the body uses - 4 in the body, ‘| The clinic, open three times a month at Mills Memorial Hos- pital, currently has about 1,000 patients on file. The clinic offers group and indi- vidual sessions.

It wasn’t that long ago that dia- betics were told they were suc-+ cessfully managing their illness if they got down to a healthy body weight.

Things have changed.

Diabetics are now advised to

‘Lilia Heslenfeld

THE TEAM: (Clockwise from upper left) patient Gunter Behren, clinic secretary Linda Perry, nurse Crispina Cote, dietitian Linda McMynn and nurse-educator Lilia Heslenteld.

change a range of habits — far life

~ fo manage their disease and re-

duce the risk of complications. “Bul now we are saying it’s

chronic — it’s a lifetime.”

If diabetics don’t properly man-

age their condition, they run the tisk of developing complications like kidney failure, blindness, heart attack and stroke and even amputation. It’s little wonder she describes diabetes as a killer.

“Lifestyle management is al- ways the key,” she pronounces.

That means eating a proper diet, exercising regularly, and en- suring blood sugar levels are con- stant by eating balanced meals at regular times, says clinic dietitian Linda MceMynn.

“Basically, all foods can fit into a diabetic diet,” she says. “It’s managing the timing and quantities.”

Many people with diabetes don’t eat breakfast, Hestenfeld adds.

Experts are concerned about an alarming rise in the number of Canadian children who are deve- loping the type of diabetes more commonly seen in middle-aged adults who also have a number of tisk factors, like obesity or a fa- mily member who has diabetes.

(Other risk factors are having a history of gestational diabetes, having a parent or sibling, with diabetes, leading a sedentary life- style, high blood pressure or cho- lesterol, and heing over 45.)

Another concern is the rising number of First Nations people with diabetes.

AS many as one in three will

‘develop the disease, which is

much higher than for the peneral population.

The Chiefs’ Health Committee and its partners set up a pilot pro- ject that sent mobile retinal screening units to remote cammu- nities in the north to test people for signs of eye damage from dia- betes.

Retinopathy, a condition af- fecting small blood vessels in the eye, is painless so people may not know they have it.

that | have, and io kiow. ‘the: ® people. I've. ac

MELIA STEPHENS, who plays Margie Frakes, tells her would-be suitor, played by Gerrott Kerr, his marriage proposal will have to wait until after the state fair.

Cal stages a classic Hollywood musical

More than 100 people involved in the senior secondary school’s production of State Fair

CONTRIBUTED

IN THE beginning, it was Snoopy, and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Next came Oklahoma! followed by Oliver, Fiddier on the Roof, West Side Story and Anything Goes,

Last year highlighted the spectacular musical, Crazy for You. This year, Caledonia's Fine Arts de- partment has something special and fun for the whole family: State Fair.

The annual musical will be performed Friday, Dec. 7 and Saturday, Dec. 8 at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre.

For nine years, the Fine Arts students at Caledonia have been turning out first-

’ class ‘musical productions

which have been very well

“received by audiences in

Terrace. With direction by Robin MacLeod, orchestration

‘and conducling by Geoff.

‘Part, and staging by An-

drew Williams, these pros

ductions commonly: in-

, Nalve . more than 100 stu-

dents, This year’s play pro- mises to be just as enter~ taining, if nol more so, than its predecessors.

“State Fair is pood-hu- moured, family entertain- ment,” says director Robin MacLeod. “Although the show has been around as a movie for many years, it has just recently come off Broadway.”

The story begins on a farm in Ohio, where the Frake family is getting ready to go to their local state fair.

A neighbour comes over in the middle of the pack- ing and an argument en- sues. The verbal battle ends only after a bet is made between two far- mers,

_ If the Frake family can. go on this trip and not

have one disaster occur, or one mishap happen to the family, Able Frake will have won the bet.

But, if something goes

_wrong, or a family member =

returns with less than. a

good memory of the time they spent at the state fair, the neighbour wins the bet.

The Frakes are deter-

_ mined to win the bet, as

they set off for the time of their lives.

With a suspenseful trip and surprises waiting

around every corner, the-

play will have you tapping

‘your feet to the, good, ol’

music, and icave you wan- ting more. |

Starring local talent: Melia Stephens, Asiling Sheridan, Britt MacLeod, Aqvar - Manhas, . Gerrott Kerr, Brian Wyatt, Rebec- ca McEwan and Dylan Wolnowski, this comic drama will be one of the funniest and most enter- taining Caledonia has pre- sented.

Tickets are available at

Caledonia Senior Second-- ary, Happydays Handbags

Luggage Company.

Tickets for evening per-— formances cost $13 each. It’s just $7 to see the Sa-

turday: matinee.

Around Town

It's about awareness MEMBERS OF a local task force will be supporting Drug Awareness Week by offering free coffee and snacks at the lobby of the medical building tomorrow and Friday.

Benita Chapdelaine, chair and founder of the Redu- cing Abuse of Alcohol and Drugs Committee or RAAD, invites the public ta drop by the lobby of the Medical Clinic building on Park Ave. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 21 and 22.

Information pamphlets will also be available,

Local police, fire, and ambulance workers and proba- tion officers took to the McDonald’s parking lot Sunday, Noy. 17, for a street hockey challenge against players from the community. The event was hosted by the RAAD Committee. Invitations were sent to local schools.

Chapdelaine says the committee is a community task

.force that organizes a number of events throughout the

year aimed at reducing alcoho! and drug use.

Schools aid food drive

THE SALVATION Army would like to thank all the

children and staff from local schools who donated food

items Jast month.

“We have received over 7,000 items of food,” says Isobel Lippers, director of community and family ser- vices for the Salvation Army, which kicks off its Christ- mas Kettle Campaign on Saturday.

The Salvation Army distributes Christmas Hampers of

can apply for hampers Noy. 26-29 in person at the old Ikon Office Solution building on Lakelse from 1-4 p.m. “This is a tremendous help coming inte the Christmas season,” Lippers added. A food drive is planned for Nov. 30 at the Safeway parking lot from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring your donations to the Salvation Army truck.

Hot off the presses!

A CALENDAR commemorating Terrace’s 75th anniver- sary is already selling like hotcakes, says Marylin Da-

vies, chair of the com-

‘Tervacte’s 78h Uieiiay

mittee ‘organizing the 2008 Calcnctar of

year-long celebration for 2003.

Davies says she sold more than 50 copies of the brand-new at the Happy Gang Centre Nov. 13.

The calendar, de-

signed and compiled by Carol Leclerc features The 2003 calendar black and white photos from Terrace’s olden days plus a calendar of events planned during the anniversary year.

Copies are available at Ev’s Men’s Wear and other locations, including the constituency offices of MP Andy Burton and MLA Roger Harris. ©

' foad to local needy families during the holidays. People '

They cost $5 each and are a fundraisier for the Ter.

race 75th Anniversary Committee. |