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Collection for the Russian Children

Twelve Russian teens with diabetes - 10 girls and 2 boys - have arrived to spend the summer in the US. They will be attending camp, staying with host families, and participating in the "Tour of Friendship", a 2 week, 700 mile bicycle trip through Michigan and Wisconsin. This program of Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana has brought over 60 Russian children to the US since 1993.

In addition, Dr. Sam Wentworth, co-founder of the group, hosted a 5 day diabetes conference for teens near Moscow in March of this year. Seventy Russian youth attended, learning new information about diabetes management and, just as importantly, gaining feelings of hope about living with the condition. Russians with diabetes are automatically classified as invalids, and excluded from many opportunities for education and employment. As a result, most try to keep the condition hidden. Our program helps these children realize that they can lead successful lives with diabetes.

We are also trying to provide them with the supplies needed to manage their diabetes. The economic situation in Russia is very bad. The middle class has been reduced to poverty. One third of families are now at or below the official poverty level--defined as a monthly income of $32 or less! Several of our older kids have had part-time jobs with US companies, but have not been paid in several months and are being laid off. Foreign companies are pulling out of Russia because business is so bad. In many cases, these kids have been the sole support of the family, since many adults lost jobs months ago.

Some insulin is still offered in the major cities, but the cost is very high. What little insulin is available in other areas is of animal origin, much of it domestically produced and of inferior quality. Strips are not available, or priced out of reach of all but the wealthiest. We fear for the health and lives of all people with diabetes in Russia.

We are currently collecting insulin - NPH, Regular, and Humalog (vials or cartridges) and strips (One Touch or Elite), to send home with the campers in August. Dr. Wentworth has also made arrangements with an importer to purchase insulin and strips in Russia, at wholesale cost.

Thanks to the generosity of visitors to this site and other donors, Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana was able to send several months' worth of insulin and strips to these and other Russian children in December 1998, and Dr. Wentworth took over $25,000 worth in March, 1999.

Donations of insulin and strips, or money to purchase them, are fully tax-deductible. Whether or not you can make a personal contribution, please consider printing this flyer and posting it at local pharmacies, doctors' offices and churches, sharing it at diabetes support group meetings--any place potential donors might be found within the diabetes community.

We hope to send the campers home with enough insulin and strips to last them throughout the coming year. If you would like to help in this effort, please send your donations before August 1, 1999, to:

Collection for Russian Kids
Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana
c/o Samuel Wentworth, MD
1300 East Main Street
Danville, Indiana 46122

For more information, e-mail russiankids@yahoo.com

Thank you for your generosity.

Here are some of the faces who will receive the donations you send! (Please allow time for pictures to load) These pictures were taken this summer, when they were brought here for diabetes camp by Dr. Samuel M. Wentworth! Thirteen diabetic Russian teens arrived in Indiana to spend the summer at camp, with host families, and on an 800 mile bike trip through Wisconsin. Five of them are returnees from last year (Sasha, Ivan, Maxim, Eugen and Nick, pictured below). The average A1c of first timers is 18%, due to the lack of testing materials and inadequate amounts of insulin. The non-profit organization, Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana, will be collecting again for Christmas '98. (CLICK HEREfor an update on Olga!)

Please send all donations to:

Collection for Russian Children
Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana
C/O Samuel M. Wentworth, M.D.
1300 East Main
Danville, Indiana 46122

Dr. Sam's Kids - 1998

Alex, 14, is from St. Petersburg, where both parents are dentists. He also hopes to become a doctor. He enjoys basketball, soccer, and reading. He has had diabetes since 1995. This was his first trip to the US.

Alice is 14 and has had diabetes since she was 7. She lives in Moscow, where her father works for Microsoft and her mother for Bristol-Meyer Squibb. She enjoys math, swimming, and computer games. This is her first year to participate in the Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana's Russian-American Tour of Friendship.

Ivan just turned 16, and has had diabetes for 4 years. He is attending camp for the third year. He and his family live in St. Petersburg, where his father is in the navy and his mother an engineer. Ivan hopes to become an economist.

Jane is a 14 year old from Saratov, where her father is a businessman and her mother a housewife. This is her first year with our group, and her third year with diabetes. Her English is excellent....not even a noticeable accent! She enjoys many sports, and hopes to work as a translator.

Jon, 16, attended our programs last year. He is from St. Petersburg. His father is a retired submarine commander, and his mother is a pediatrician. Jon also hopes to become a doctor. He enjoys sports and auto racing.

Max, 16, is from Surgut and is in his third year with us. His father is a government official and his mother a teacher. He enjoys soccer. He has had diabetes for 4 years.

Nastya is 14 and from St. Petersburg. She was diagnosed with diabetes 2 years ago. She enjoys dancing, reading, and taking walks. She hopes to be a journalist when she finishes school.

Sasha N. is 15, diabetic for 7 years. His father and mother are both doctors. He enjoys roller-blading, skiing, skating, and bicycling. This was his first year with our program.

Sasha S. lives in Ekatherinaburg. His father is a sea captain and his mother a music teacher. He enjoys history and English, and wants to be a lawyer. He's also a basketball fan. He has had diabetes for 4 years.

Sasha T., who was in our program last year, is from Moscow. She is 14 and has had diabetes for 2 years. Both parents are engineers; Sasha would like to be a translator. She enjoys bicycling, badminton, swimming, and reading.

Stasi just turned 16. She was here with our program 2 years ago. She is from Moscow, where her father is a busineessman, Her mother is very active in the Diabetes Association. She enjoys basketball, volleyball, and swimming, and hopes to be a translator.

Vanya is 14, and lives in Ekaterinaburg. His father works at the radio statioh and his mother is a housewife. He has had diabetes for 8 years. He likes computer games and taking walks. He hopes to be a translator.

Nick is nearly 17, and in his third year with our program. He's from Moscow, where his father is a chemist and his mother a piano teacher. He enjoys reading, physical fitness, computers, and bicycling He has had diabetes for 10 years.

UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 28, 1998

Lana got a letter from Olga's mother: "Nadezhda (Hope), Olga's mother, writes she was crying when she got my letter and received supplies sent by Dr. Wentworth. You cannot imagine how grateful they are. They write that they love you all very much and do not know how and when they will be able to thank him and other people personally for their kindness. She thanks everybody who made it possible for her daughter to get medical supplies."

This is Olga (9) and her Mother Nadezhada (Hope). They live in a small city of Tver, 3-4 hours from Moscow by train. Her story is one of those which other families tell. They do not have any test strips at all. They simply do not exist over there, but they still manage to get insulin... though in summer they had problems getting it also. Hope does not work. She's had to stay at home to look after Olga after she was diagnosed with diabetes. She is also taking care of her husband's 92 year old grandmother. She writes that very often her husband has to wait for his salary for several months. When he gets the money, they start thinking whether they should buy some meat and fruits for Olga or go to the "black market" to look for strips.

Olga is not one of the children here in the States at camp right now, but we plan on getting some supplies to her as soon as we can! She is one of the children that Sergey, our dear friend Lana's son, was in the hospital with when he was diagnosed! Please, if there is anything you can send to Olga, send it to the address above! Thank you!

These pictures were taken last summer, when they were brought here for diabetes camp by Dr. Samuel M. Wentworth!

Dr. Sam's Kids - 1997

Kostya

Nick

Alex

Evgen or Jon

Ivan

Ivan

Lyudmilla

Maxim

Maya

Natasha

Sasha

Sergey

One At A Time

A friend of ours was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.

As our friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.

Our friend was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing."

"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."

"I understand", our friend replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down the coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"

The local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea he replied, "Made a difference to that one!"

Jack Canfield and Mark V. Hansen
"Chicken Soup for the Soul"

Please send all donations to:

Collection for Russian Children
Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana
C/O Samuel M. Wentworth, M.D.
1300 East Main
Danville, Indiana 46122

This collection was inspired by a letter written by Svetlana Zavyalova about Life with Diabetes in Russia!

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