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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Area podiatrist Dr. Bruce G. Blank is gearing up to present the 20th annual Halloween Candy Exchange for children who have diabetes.
This year's event will be offered from 3-5 p.m. Sunday at the office of Achilles Foot and Ankle Surgery, PC, located at 46898 National Road, St. Clairsville. Reservations are requested and can be made by calling Blank's office, 740-633-4188.
Families attending the party will be treated to games, gifts, prizes and pizza from DeFelice Brothers Pizza in St. Clairsville.
Children who have diabetes can bring sugared candy that they have received at other parties or trick-or-treat and exchange it for a bag of goodies that are safe for them to eat. If their community's trick-or-treat hours occur after the Halloween party, youngsters can take their loot to Blank's offices in St. Clairsville, Martins Ferry and Wheeling afterward. The collected candy is donated to the Soup Kitchen of Greater Wheeling.
As he and his team prepare for the 20th annual event, Blank said, "Many hands and caring hearts are what have made this party possible. Friends from the First United Methodist Church in Martins Ferry have delivered folding chairs for a long time. DeFelice Brothers Pizza in St. Clairsville has graciously donated pizza for more years than I can remember. My wife, Diane, and her mother, Sophie, have helped me with every party. It's been a wonderful experience."
Recalling the roots of the exchange, he said, "I've thought about the very first one. What seemed to be a good way to get the word out that year proved to be ineffective, and not many families were aware of the event. We had only a few kids show up! We talked and traded the sugared candy for bags of other treats. There wasn't much of a 'party,' but that was the night we really got started. We made contact with some families, learned a lesson about how to better reach out to the community and began to make plans for the next year. I have also been thinking about the people who have helped me through the years --some of whom are no longer with us -- and I am so grateful for their support and enthusiasm."
Collectively, about 100 children with diabetes have attended the event over the years, he estimated.
Blank said, "We've usually had between 10 and 15 children with diabetes attending each year, accompanied by parents, siblings, grandparents, other relatives and friends, giving us a group of about 30-40."
The podiatric surgeon related, "Every party helped to either solidify what worked well or point the way to other ideas. We've had all sorts of entertainment, including magicians, storytellers, superheroes, princesses, musicians and clowns. We've had silly songs, crafts and lots of games and prizes.
"The Good Zoo has brought snakes, spiders, other bugs, skunks and more for the kids to see, touch and learn to know better. The owners of the SMART Center from Wheeling's Centre Market have presented hands-on experiments and demonstrations. A few years ago, Dr. Amy Jean, pediatric endocrinologist, started attending the party and assisting and even brought her boys," he added.
He observed, "In size, it has remained pretty consistent. Each year, there are some children who no longer attend because of their age or who no longer go trick-or-treating, but children with newly diagnosed diabetes come to take their place."
Reflecting on connections that have been made at the parties, Blank said, "Families who attend once nearly always return until the kids mature. We've met children who were toddlers at their first parties and, because some of the older kids liked to come back as helpers, we were blessed to see them grow up.
"One came the year she was a new mom and brought her baby. Another was inspired by her own diabetes to become a nurse and I see her when I'm in the operating room. We were guests at her wedding in June. Some of the kids or family members have become patients," he added.
Parents of children with diabetes face many questions when it comes to traditional celebrations of the popular autumn holiday.
Blank commented, "Children with diabetes mellitus and their parents have to deal with a potentially difficult situation when it comes to Halloween and trick-or-treating. Do the parents allow the children to go trick-or-treating but not allow them to keep and eat the goodies they accumulate? Or, do the parents not allow the children to trick-or-treat because of the obvious dietary restrictions? I think our party solves that problem by allowing the children to go out with the other kids for trick-or-treating but come to our party where they can trade sugared treats for those we provide, which fit into their diets."
Being one of few children with diabetes mellitus in an entire school can make a child feel too different from other children, he said.
"However, upon attending our party and having a lot of fun with other ordinary kids -- who happen to have diabetes mellitus -- can remind children that the disease is just a condition and doesn't define them. I think it's very empowering," Blank commented. "Also, non-diabetic siblings and friends (including my own daughter for the past 12 years) attend the party. When they're all playing and having fun, they're just a bunch of kids, and they can't tell who has diabetes and who doesn't, other than blood sugars being checked before it's time to eat pizza."
The party also provides an opportunity for networking among the parents.
He said, "Every year, there are children who attend who have very recently been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. It's a very scary thing for parents. They take the opportunity to talk to other parents who have had more experience caring for diabetic children. It helps the 'new diabetic parents' see that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that diabetes mellitus can be, and should be, manageable."