CARTERVILLE - When Christy Jordan's son, Gavin, was diagnosed with juvenile, or Type 1, diabetes she said she knew next to nothing about the disorder.

Two years later Gavin, 10, and Christy are well-versed and proficient at counting carbs and tracking blood sugar to maintain the tenuous balance of insulin that allows Gavin to have a normal life.

Christy, a resident of Carterville, said it was her desire to learn more about Type 1 diabetes and then to share what she'd learned that prompted her to reach out to other parents of children who live with the disorder.

"All the information seemed to be falling out of the St. Louis area and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation," she said. "I couldn't find information locally, and the more I talked to people I learned that so and so has it, and so and so's son has it, too. Come to find out there's quite a few kids that have diabetes. So I thought, 'Why not start a group here?'"

With their children in tow, the group began meeting once a month, taking summers off because of tough scheduling. But beginning Oct. 5 the group, which now includes about 18 regular families, will meet again at the Jeremy "Boo" Rochman Memorial Park, commonly known as the castle park, in Carbondale. And in between the playing and fun, the parents and kids learn more about diabetes, said Jordan.

"We are really sharing ideas, suggestions, things we've tried and that other families have tried and helpful hints," she said. "The idea is to let kids and parents know they are not alone."

According to the JDRF, Type 1 diabetes strikes suddenly and makes victims dependant on injected or pumped insulin for life. The disease is autoimmune, in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas.

The disorder requires constant monitoring of carbohydrates consumed and in the blood stream, which means regular pricks of the skin to test for blood sugar and regular insulin injections.

Herrin resident and group member Cindy Bartelsmeyer said she was like Jordan in that she knew very little about the disease when her son, Nicholas, was diagnosed last year.

"It catches you off guard; it's not something they'll outgrow. He has to take his blood sugar five to ten times a day and has to take shots to live," she said. "He (Nicholas) was 7 years old. I didn't know anything about the disease at all."

But through meeting with the group Bartelsmeyer said she's learned quickly.

"It's a good place to go and ask questions and find out from other parents how they survive, what kinds of food they have to put in their kid's lunch," she said. "We have to know exactly what's in the food he eats and match the insulin and carbs. Most of the general population doesn't know, so they just think you are crazy."

Bartelsmeyer said the group has proven beneficial for Nicholas, too.

"It's just nice to go to other parents to ask basic questions like what do you do for a party or a sleepover," she said. "And it's good for him (Nicholas) to meet other kids with it. It's been a positive experience, and he really looks forward to going to them."

For more information about the group, contact Christy Jordan at 925-3372.

blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com / 351-5823