9 columbushosp.org A passion for diabetes education Volunteer gives his time to help others For Dennis Cetak, his daughter ’s diabetes diagnosis was a life-changing experience. Doctors determined she had Type 1 diabetes when she was 8 years old. He worked hard to help her learn her newfound way of life, but three months later, he found out she wasn’t the only one with a life-changing condition — he also had Type 1 diabetes. “It’s been interesting to see how diabetes worked its way into our family,” Cetak said. “We’ve had to work with it for nearly 40 years.” Teaming up for a cause His daughter ’s circumstances led him to team up with Columbus Community Hospital and local families to offer a juvenile diabetes support group. Through the group, they raised money to send area kids to diabetes camps. Cetak said the camps are important because they teach kids to live with and control their diabetes. “When my daughter started camp, she couldn’t even do her shots,” he said. “But she did the shots all by herself when we returned.” Since then, the hospital’s diabetes and health education department has grown to include four diabetes-specific programs and a support group. The department has also built upon Cetak’s initial juvenile diabetes fundraiser by hosting a Diabetes Awareness Day each fall, with the proceeds from the event supporting diabetes education programs and youth diabetes camps. Sharing his experience Cetak’s involvement with the hospital doesn’t stop there — he started working with its Diabetes SelfManagement Program in 2004. The program’s instructor approached Cetak looking for someone with diabetes to speak to the group, and he jumped at the opportunity to share his personal experience with others. In 2008, he became an official hospital volunteer and recently celebrated his 15th anniversary. “Over the years, I’ve spoken with more than 300 diabetic program participants,” he said. “It ’s not a lot, but it ’s encouraging and something I felt called to do in my heart.” The hospital’s diabetes and health education department hosts the comprehensive education class once or twice monthly, depending on class participation. During the second day of the program, Cetak talks about his experience with diabetes and shares three main pieces of advice: Accept that you have diabetes, be educated about your condition and be responsible. “I’m glad we have this program, because I get to speak from the heart,” he said. “When I talk, I try to put a little fear into them, because so many things can go wrong if you don’t take care of yourself. We don’t want diabetes to control us — we want to control diabetes.” Take control To learn more about Columbus Community Hospital’s diabetes education programs or volunteer opportunities, visit columbushosp.org. Click on“Diabetes and Health Education”under “Our Services.”
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