‘Turning the tide’
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe is taking a proactive approach to diabetes treatment and prevention.
Section:Picture story
Diabetic Perry Kitt, 70, prepares an insulin pen before sitting down to dinner with his son, Andy, on Friday, April 17, 2015, in Plummer, Idaho. Kitt, who battles type 2 diabetes is one of about 400 diabetics treated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Bewewah Medical Center in Plummer, Id.
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Perry Kitt, walks through an agility exercise during a “Get Up and Go” class held by the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Wellness Center in Plummer on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015. The classes focus on simple activities of daily living such as agility drills like this one, others include standing up from a stool and catching balls. Kitt, who was an athlete in his youth, and served multiple tours in Vietnam still has great hand-eye coordination, but tires easily.
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Perry Kitt has his toenails examined and clipped by Judy Gordon an RN and certified diabetes educator on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, at Benewah Medical Center in Plummer, Id. Maintaining feet is crucial for patients like Perry, Gordon said. “Preventing amputations is huge.”
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Diagnosed a diabetic in 1988, tribal member Sharon Pakootas, sorts through her medications on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015, at her home in Plummer, Id. She takes nearly a dozen prescription medicine a day. “The pills and the insulin, that’s my life right there,” she said. “So I have to take it if I want to live and that’s kind of scary.”
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From left, Julianna Parker, Boom George and her cousin John Abraham, right, look at nutrition and ingredient labels on food products during a class focusing on dietary choices held as part of a 16-week diabetes prevention course called Native Lifestyle Balance on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, at Benewah Medical Center in Plummer, Id.
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Andy Kitt, Perry Kitt’s son, battles through oxygen debt during a dawn treadmill workout on Feb. 13, 2015, at the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Wellness Center, after the treadmill he will hit a full-body weight workout. Andy, who has struggled with his weight for most of his life, has become an inspiration to others in the community; he’s dropped from 205 pounds from 559. He works as a fitness specialist and lifeguard at the wellness center, encouraging others to make healthier choices. “I have relatives and family, young cousins, that are overweight,” Kitt said. “They really need to get in here and start working out.”
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Perry Kitt laughs as he catches a ball during a “Get Up and Go” class on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015, at the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Wellness Center.
TYLER TJOMSLAND The Spokesman-Review
Andy Kitt, left, prepares a salad for dinner as his father Perry Kitt jokes with him on Friday, April 17, 2015, in Plummer, Id. According to Carla Patterson, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the Benewah Medical Center, one of the most disturbing trends tracked by health officials is the rising incidence of diabetes among teenagers and young adults. “Because the kids are eating the same as the parents are,” she said. In the case of the Kitt’s it is the opposite: Andy cooks for both himself and his father, preparing their meals in a healthy way.
TYLER TJOMSLAND The Spokesman-Review