Cindy MacDougall
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 17/00) - When Mary Jane Tsetta was told 10 years ago she had diabetes, she was frightened.

"I was pregnant when I was diagnosed," she said. "I had to go on insulin for six months, and check my blood sugar four times a day. I was overwhelmed."

Her diabetes went away after she delivered her healthy baby, but came back several years later. Worried about her health, she joined a diabetes education program run by dietician and educator Mabel Wong.

It proved to a healthy move for Tsetta.

"The teacher and the doctor you have make a big difference," she said. "Mabel calmed me down. I started to learn about diet, exercise and insulin."

The education program, funded by the Stanton Regional Health Board, recently won a prestigious national award from the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Wong said the program received a four-year certification from the National Recognition Program, which assesses how well diabetes education programs are meeting the needs of patients.

Only nine other education programs in Canada have received the award.

"It's a very intensive standard," said Wong. "It took us over six months to prepare the portfolio for the peer review."

The education program has helped more than 500 patients from all over the Northwest Territories since 1996. Wong, another educators and several volunteers, including program graduate Tsetta, teach three-day workshops on diabetes and life, and are also on hand for drop-in clinics.

Wong said the program is successful because the participants decide what will be taught.

"We start out by asking 'What's the hardest thing for you right now about your diabetes?'"Wong explained.

"The answer is almost always food and being able to choose the right foods and still have fun."

Wong and the other educators use games, food and fun to teach how to eat properly, exercise and use medication to control diabetes.

"We play Jeopardy, and we always eat a healthy lunch," she said.

A successful part of the workshop, Tsetta said, is incorporating traditional country food, such as bannock and caribou, into discussions and the lunch menu.

"Bannock uses a lot of white flour and lard, which is very fattening," said Tsetta.

"One lady said she used to make bannock with lard, but now she used oil. And she showed all the others how to do it."

Aboriginal people across Canada have a higher incidence of diabetes than other population groups, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Tsetta said she had no idea the problem was prevalent among aboriginal people until she was diagnosed.

"Now, I know it's a risk factor," she said.

"There's nothing I can do about that, my family history or my age, but I can do something about my weight and my diet."

Wong said she hoped the national recognition will bring some monetary reward, like more funding for the part-time program.

"We haven't had much money, and we've done our very best," she said.

"Imagine what we could do with more funding."