BALANCE
COMMUNITY
SUPPORT FOR JUVENILE DIABETES
Scott and Jessica Shwedel with their children, Seth and Leah
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JESSICA SHWEDEL - SCHWEDEL STUDIO
Just before Christmas in 2010, Tami and Joe Balavage’s 16-year-old son, Michael, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. “We quickly found out, even with insurance, how expensive this disease is,” recalls Tami. Hearing of families in the community struggling to access treatment, the Balavages founded Help a Diabetic Child (HADC) (helpadiabeticchild. org) in 2013. The nonprofit organization helps families pay for medications like insulin, plus helps them access doctor visits and additional medical supplies. In 2021, HADC assisted nearly 500 young people with diabetes. “It’s a very difficult time because sometimes you’re choosing between food and paying your rent or mortgage and insulin, and it affects the whole family,” explains Tami. Cost isn’t the only challenge with diabetes though. Tami remembers returning home from the hospital, looking at a table full of new medical
SELF-CARE
REST, RESTORE, AND RECOVER
WITH FLOAT THERAPY
supplies for her son, and thinking, “How are we going to do this?” The feeling is familiar to Jessica Shwedel, whose daughter, Leah, was diagnosed at 5 years old. “You go from having a healthy child to one day, all of a sudden, your kid has a chronic illness,” she says. “It’s completely life altering.” Having faced misconceptions about the disease, both mothers emphasize that type 1 diabetes isn’t caused by diet or lifestyle, but by an autoimmune process where the body destroys cells that make insulin. They also want people to recognize the symptoms like extreme thirst, weight loss, frequent urination, and fatigue. “This is not something, sadly, you learn about from a pediatrician,” Jessica explains. “I want them to know about that so that they [can] detect it early enough.” Since Leah’s diagnosis three years ago, the Shwedel family has become involved with the local chapter of JDRF (jdrf.org), the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. In fact, Jessica serves as chair for the 2022 JDRF Hope Gala. She hopes their involvement with the nonprofit organization will help empower her daughter. “Hearing other people’s stories and other people’s daily struggles, you realize there are other people out there like you,” Jessica says.
Floating weightlessly in a warm pool is just as relaxing as it sounds. “It feels like you’re in the womb,” explains Brandon Stacy, owner of World Med Spa in Naples. Floatation therapy, also called restricted environmental stimulation technique, also has research-backed health benefits. Studies have found that the therapy may help reduce pain, blood pressure, anxiety, and depression, as well as improve sleep. In fact, Stacy says people often fall asleep in the first few minutes of their session. You can try float therapy yourself at the spa, which offers a floatation tank with infrared lighting. Because the World Med Spa has a tank instead of an individual pod, you can also receive a massage while floating, which Stacy notes is especially good for cancer patients and people who can’t lie comfortably on a massage table. Whether you go for the physical and mental benefits or just to relax, Stacy adds, it’s all about health, rest, and recovery. (worldmedspa.com)
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