Press Room

Sights Set on Health

Hilo conference raises awareness about diabetes

August 31, 2009 - By Bret Yager Tribune-Herald Staff Writer

When Carol Caseylittell found out she had diabetes two years ago, she was terrified.

She didn't know much about the disease. She'd heard bad things like, "first you lose a toe, then a leg, then you're dead."

Caseylittell was so frightened she decided right there to do whatever it took to turn her life around and kick the disease.

Since then, through a strict diet and exercise, she's lost more than 65 pounds.

She used to eat white rice, milk and tapioca. Now it's nonfat yogurt, berries, no sugar at all. She walks, swims, and when it rains, she dances indoors.

Caseylittell was among a group of Big Island residents who turned out at the Hilo High School cafeteria on Saturday for the Hawaii Island Diabetes Conference, sponsored by the Lions Club. A lineup of speakers covered subjects from diet to eye health, the role of obesity in diabetes, and gastric bypass surgery as a possible solution to weight troubles.

There were also demonstrations on ways to cook healthy meals.

About 70 people were in attendance at 2 p.m. The event ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, and informational booths by area health organizations.

V. Ted Leon, associate medical director at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, covered guidelines for managing obesity. One of his two key pieces of advice: eat whole foods. A plant-based diet with as many fresh vegetables as possible and some supplemental lean animal products is best, he said.

The other key is taking fitness seriously.

"To the tune of an hour or more a day," Leon said. "It has become culturally acceptable not to exercise at all. You need to exercise the same way you sleep -- every day."

Leon confirmed that there is more diabetes in Hawaii than most states -- and more on the Big Island than Oahu. Diabetes is linked to poverty and poor nutrition.

"We have one of the highest diabetes rates in the state, so this was a good opportunity for us to reach out to community and educate them about diabetes," said event organizer Tracy Aruga.

More than 100 people took advantage of the free vision screening.

"This is the most sophisticated eye equipment in the state of Hawaii," said event chairman Carl Barash. "The camera takes a picture of the inside of the eye without it having to be dilated. It will pick up nine out of 10 diseases and even early stages of diabetes."

The screening is sponsored by the Lions Club, the American Diabetes Association and the Retina Institute of Hawaii, which owns the bus. Young Bros. shipped the bus free from Oahu to the Big Island.

"I did the whole nine yard while I was here," said Caseylittell. "It was well worth coming. You almost never get a chance to talk to the doctors."

E-mail Bret Yager at byager-@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

Free eye exams

The Project Vision Bus is on the Big Island this week doing free vision screening. Here's the schedule: