Dominique Barrett
On campus Kris Hizal is better known as the senior AP government teacher, but he also does a lot to contribute to JDRF or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. His inspiration to lend a helping hand comes from his son, sophomore Daniel Hizal.
“We had no history of diabetes in our family, so we made an appointment and took him to a regular doctor and his blood sugar was off the chart,” Hizal said. “Normal blood sugar is between 80 and 140/150 and he was above 500 when they tried to read it, so they said he had diabetes.”
Basically, diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to produce the proper amount of insulin. Unfortunately, the timing of Daniel’s diagnosis could not have been more ill placed, but nonetheless, Hizal accepted a new way of life.
“That was a rough couple of days. That was a Friday and they started school the following Monday. It was a really tough piece coming to school that year because life changed dramatically.”
While adjusting to the diagnosis, food and sports were two major things Daniel and Hizal had to be mindful of.
“When he was diagnosed, for the first time in our lives we had to measure all food and read everything,” Hizal said. “From day one he had a carbohydrate plan. You have to read everything to know what you’re consuming and take insulin to cover it.”
While food was one obstacle, with the support of his family Daniel was still able to play the sports he loves.
“It can be a hassle when you’re trying to exercise then you have to stop because your blood sugar is low and you feel like crud for a few minutes,” Daniel said. “There’s glucose tabs or juice boxes that I have to drink or consume and my blood sugar will go up and I can go back out again.”
Although it is a bit of a challenge for the most part, Daniel is no different than any other student. He can still play sports and participate in events at MC.
Daniel has never let his diagnosis stop him from achieving his goals and he is now a part of MC’s band. He also supports his dad’s charitable efforts. So if you want to help contribute to JDRF, you can donate money to Hizal in exchange for spiral notebook in room U7.
