Ste Anne teen to model in diabetes fashion show

A Ste Anne teen will model in a fashion show fundraiser for diabetes camp this summer.

Annalynne Smith will walk down the runway during Diabetes Canada Pump Couture Fashion show on May 23.

“(I’m) excited and nervous. I’m going to be a model!” she said with a laugh.

Annalynne became involved with the fashion show after her mom heard about it from a diabetes group. Now, the family is raising money to send Annalynne and other children with diabetes to camp. It costs $1,500 to send a kid to diabetes camp but through fundraising parents only have to pay $750. Those who are low income will get their camp fees fully paid for by the fundraiser.

So far, Annalynne’s profile page for the fashion show has garnered $300 of a $1,000 goal, but the family has also received cash donations which will go towards her end total.

Annalynne was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was eight years old, days before Halloween in October 2019. She was diagnosed after her mother, Syliva Coelho, noticed Annalynne’s breath smelled sweet, she had been losing weight, and she kept throwing up after eating large meals.

“And all the sudden she was very ashy and pale and I thought something was up,” said Coelho. “I took her to the doctor for a regular checkup, and I asked him a few questions and he was like, ‘I don’t want to worry you, but you need to go over to emergency.’ They confirmed it.”

Over the next few days, Annalynne and her family received information and training from the doctors and nurses at the Health Sciences Centre.

“I was a bit confused at first because I didn’t really know what diabetes was and I was a bit scared too,” said the now 14-year-old.

“We were terrified,” said Coelho, noting she had an aunt who died of complications from Type 2 diabetes and for Coelho the diagnosis was like a death sentence until the staff at HSC showed her how to manage the disease.

“We’ve actually done quite well with it. And she just recently got put on to a pump in March and it has definitely started to help and she has been excelling and doing great with it so far,” said Coelho.

The pump Annalynne uses gives a continuous insulin dose over a 24-hour period and it works with a continuous glucose monitor, which measures the amount of insulin inside her body. Annalynne has to change her pump every three days with a new cartridge of insulin.

“It calculates everything for her and she sets it up and we’re good to go,” said Coelho.

About 30,000 children in Canada have Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes is a common chronic condition that affects Canadians of all ages. It occurs when the body loses its ability to produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that regulates sugar levels in the blood.

There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes. If left uncontrolled, diabetes results in high blood sugar levels, which can lead to serious complications such as blindness, loss of limbs, nerve damage, kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, or death. Fortunately, it is possible to remain healthy with diabetes, so long as it is well managed.

Annalynne enjoys playing video games, playing the saxophone, and being an air cadet. She said having diabetes has affected her life greatly. She has to monitor her carb intake, when to eat, and how much insulin to inject.

“It’s definitely been a learning curb,” said Coelho. “There have been times when she’s gone too low, if we’ve over corrected or we haven’t given enough insulin. There are times when she’s gone quite low at nighttime or out and about doing activities, going to the beach, or in the pool, stuff like that where she’s exerting herself she can drop quite quickly. Sometimes it’s just making sure you have that extra bit of carbs on hand just in case something happens.”

What Annalynne wants people to know about diabetes is “that it’s a hard thing to deal with sometimes and that it could be forever.”

Her mom is hopeful that through research and technology there might be a cure for diabetes whether that’s through organ transplants or better pumps and monitors.

Annalynne hopes to become a fashion designer or an endocrinologist when she grows up.

The Pump Couture Fashion Show will premier at the Leaf in Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg.

To donate go to www.diabetes.ca, search for Pump Couture and type Annalynne Smith.