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Where There's a Will – A story of inspiration

Published:
1-October-2005

By Zoe Francis

Briana Lassig was confident she could keep herself alive in Death Valley for 26 grueling days. Her parents weren't so sure. Neither was her doctor. School officials worried about the liability of sending a 16-year-old with Type 1 Diabetes into the unforgiving wilderness. Briana stuck to her convictions. She was determined to become the first-ever Athenian School student with diabetes to successfully complete the rigorous outdoor education program. "I didn't want my diabetes standing in my way", the well-spoken high school junior said. "I pick and choose my battles. This was a battle I chose".

Briana convinced her parents and her doctor that she could tackle the challenge of the Athenian Wilderness Experience while carefully managing her diabetes. The next step was convincing school officials. "I didn't want to be the one person who didn't get to go", she said. Briana, her parents and her doctor convinced school leaders that Briana was exceedingly capable of keeping herself healthy and alive on the nearly month-long trek. "My doctor reassured them that I wasn't really at a greater risk than anyone else going out there", she said. He told them I'm responsible, and that I was ready to take it on.

Briana, whose family lives in Danville, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes the summer of 2004. Her mother, Julie Lassig, had recognized the classic symptoms of the disease. Excessive thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and fatigue. Type 1 Diabetes is the most severe and least common form of diabetes. Type 2 accounts for more than 90 percent of the estimated 18 million Americans who have diabetes. It typically strikes people who are overweight, inactive and have poor diets. It is commonly managed with oral medications.

Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease for which there is no cure. There is nothing Briana did to cause her diabetes. In fact, doctors do not know what triggers Type 1 diabetes. The pancreas quits making insulin, which the body needs to convert the sugars or carbohydrates in foods into energy. People with Type 1 diabetes rely on injected insulin each day to stay alive.

Briana did not to let diabetes hold her back. She started using an insulin pump just three months after her diagnosis. The pump, attached to her body, delivers a constant drip of insulin. Whenever Briana eats or drinks anything with carbohydrates, she programs the pump to deliver more insulin to cover what she eats. Everything in Briana's life affects her diabetes. Food, exercise, emotions, and stress. Now she was faced with managing her diabetes on her own and in the great outdoors.

Julie Lassig knew her daughter was facing an uphill battle. Not only did Briana have to convince school officials that shed be fine on the trip, she had to take a crash course in how to manage her diabetes outdoors while hiking up to 11 miles a day. I told her she had a lot of work to do, said Kim Higgins, Briana's diabetes nurse educator. If she was willing to put in the hard work, then we were willing to support her. I was excited for her. Higgins and Briana's doctor, Mark Christiansen, consulted with colleagues, people who run camps for kids with diabetes, and amateur athletes with diabetes. They concluded that Briana should temporarily give up her much-cherished insulin pump and go back to a daily multiple-shot regimen for the trip. Briana gave up her pump five weeks in advance of the spring trip to Death Valley. She also started a rigorous workout program at the local gym not only to get in shape, but also to get an idea of how exercise affects her blood sugar, the standard by which diabetes control is measured.

Briana's mom did her homework, too. She went to the barn where the food supplies are kept. She meticulously noted how many carbohydrates are in each serving. She put everything in writing. Carbohydrates and serving amounts were neatly listed, then laminated to weatherproof them along with emergency phone numbers and instructions about how to help Briana manage her diabetes. Extra diabetes supplies were bought. Carrying cases to keep insulin and blood glucose test strips cool were ordered. Carb-dense energy bars were packed. Briana's parents, her doctor and nurse grilled her over and over again about every possible scenario. Every what if situation.

After months of careful planning, the big day in March finally arrived. Briana, her classmates and camp instructors loaded up the bus and headed out to Death Valley. "To be perfectly honest, I was scared", Julie Lassig said of her daughter's adventure. "I have a pit in my stomach every time she does something new. But I know that I can't hold her back". Lassig and her husband, Stephan, had their minds put at ease at least a little about 10 days into the trip. They called to say, "Just to let you know, she's doing swimmingly well", Julie Lassig said.

The students carried all their supplies, up to 60 pounds, in their bulging backpacks. There were only two re-supply drops during the entire 26-day excursion. In addition to her backpack, Briana had to carry plenty of insulin, syringes, a blood glucose meter, snacks for low blood sugar and an emergency shot in case she were ever to slip into unconsciousness. She never did. In fact, Briana proudly reported that there weren't even any close calls on the trip. Most nights, Briana set her travel alarm for 2 a.m. to check her blood sugar in the middle of the night. That's in addition to the 10 or 15 times a day that she checked her blood. A small finger prick draws a bead of blood, which is then put on a tiny strip to be checked by the blood glucose meter. Briana gave herself an average of five insulin shots per day.

Wilderness instructor Jason Sarouhan is used to working with students as they tackle the outdoors in challenging situations. "This is a self-sufficient course in that all students are carrying their water, food, and camping supplies", Sarouhan said of the journey "that's a graduation requirement for all Athenian students". This trip was a true wilderness backpacking experience. The longtime outdoor instructor admitted, however, that he was a bit nervous when he learned a student with diabetes would be in his group. "Once I met Briana, I didn't have concerns after that", he said. "Briana is very conscious of her health. She understands her diabetes and how it affects her daily. She's incredibly responsible with taking insulin and estimating the number of carbohydrates in her food".

The biggest challenge came toward the end of the journey, which had taken the students through freezing snow, soggy rain and blistering heat. Each student must endure three days of solitude to complete the course. For most students, solitude can be lonely. For Briana, it was potentially life threatening. She handled the situation with aplomb, radioing her instructors at 2 a.m. each night to assure them she was fine.

In early April, nearly a month after leaving the comfort of her Danville home, Briana and her 39 classmates returned home with a joyous eight-mile run to Athenian School. Briana had become the first student with Type 1 Diabetes to tackle the grueling Athenian Wilderness Experience. She came home and said, "I'm queen of the world!" proud mom Julie Lassig said. "I can overcome anything", Briana said. "Obstacles made by diabetes are just obstacles I'm going to encounter in my life. It's fine. I'll get through it".

Higgins encouraged Briana to keep a detailed journal of her travels so that she can reflect on and share with others her life-altering trek into Death Valley. "It's an experience that will live with her forever, for her entire life", Higgins said. "She's a very focused and phenomenal young lady who will do very well. Diabetes is just a part of her life. It will not define her life".

Article is reprinted with the permission of the Tri-Valley Herald and ANG Newspapers.
Good a good column idea? Or maybe you're just curious about something around town. Send your ideas or questions to Zoe Francis at zoe@zoefrancis.com or call (925) 461-1170. Letters may be sent to 4770 Willow Road, Pleasanton 94588.