"Because diabetes does not rest, we can't rest"

Maritza Ortega is the founder of the Pandis group.An exemplifier testimony, forged by force of love and integrity.

You can have diabetes and lead a normal life, depends on the patient and parents, Maritza remarked.Andrés Mansilla.
Surprise, anguish, confusion and know how many other sensations Maritza Ortega had when his 3 -year -old daughter was diagnosed with diabetes.

20 years ago of that episode that suddenly and without anesthesia put it in a decisive place: learn what it is to know what to do and with the best result.Today can assure and demonstrate that he had the greatest achievement: that Ángela Pereyra, that little girl who is 23 years old, is studying the last stretch of the law career, without any shock in her health, but with compliance with Rajatabla the patient manualof diabetes.

The young woman exceeded the qualification of 10 in this difficult matter.But his mother did not get less note;perhaps deserving of a "congratulated".The early days were more than hard for this woman, who had everything to learn, by the hand of just a handful of professionals, including Dr. María Gloria Montagna de Freijo.

Very few knew what to do with that creature affected by this disease that alters the way in which the human body uses glucose, the main form of blood sugar, which comes from the food we consume and is the largest source of energy necessary to developThe functions of the human body.

"As parents we have to be very attentive to excess thirst, abundant urine, decay"

Maritza, who is presented as "a simple mom", is the initiator of Pandis (parents, adolescents and diabetic children of Salta), for the capital and the interior, which formally operates for almost 7 years -the birthday is theNovember 14- and about 15 informally.

without help

Pandis does not receive any type of help or subsidy.Everyone who arrives at the group knows that ad honorem work there."There is no benefit, neither direct nor indirect, towards the people who integrate it," Maritza clarifies and adds: "We do not receive government assistance or anything that seems to him, because we decided that we begin with this, it is oursway of thinking.Instead, they ask for help as transportation for coexistence, ingredients for cooking or something to drink.They also ask for "physical collaboration" of some people, such as members of Fortín Martina S. de Gurruchaga.

"Our meetings are held in Oñativia and in the Pediatrics Society"

When Maritza started with diabetes, he didn't know anyone, there were not even as many youth -infant diabetes specialists as there is now.It began to internalize children's diabetes;There was something else about adults.The only person who could resort was Dr. Gloria and other professionals such as the nutritionist Daniel Marañón.

"It was very complicated, it was learning day by day. There was no technology that is now; today is the provincial diabetes program that gives strips, devices, needles, but when we started there was nothing of this, nor discardable syringes, byWe had to boil and use again, "said the woman.

And he recalled that when the first disposables appeared they brought very thick needles for a 3 -year creature.To better graph that situation, he recalled that for that reason the baby was walking with bruises and there was no lack of those who said they were bruises product of blows.

Maritza had another barrier.Most people skimmed from the disease, and argued that it was a disease of the old."Some professionals came to tell me that I did not put the injection every day, which once a week was enough," he said.

"It was a very difficult path to travel, but you can always,Despite everything "

While this mom - Haute Couture Modist - he managed to learn more and more and serve his daughter, other families with a similar problem approaching Dr. Gloria and Mr. Daniel, who were presented to Maritza and thusThe first and small group was born, although all the patients were older than Angela.

"The idea," he said.I would not live more than two years. "
The boys grew up, the children became adolescents and adolescents in young people.Parents keep trying to learn in each meeting.In the beginning there were two talks per year;Now they go from May to December.

Everything on Facebook

Pandis does not have a physical space.Maritza explained that this was a decision of the group's initiators, thinking about who would take care of the economic aspect of the operation.Facebook is the main ally;That network is the link between the members of the group, there are published the novelties and the calls.They also have WhatsApp groups.

From his experience, Maritza says that "receiving the news that a child has diabetes is very sad, however, it depends on the information we have and how we are going to apply it in day to day. If we are fine as parents and we contain them, we take care of and get ahead, our children will be much better.

Pandis's motto for this year is: "Diabetes does not rest, work every day, so we have to report 365 days a year.""It's not about diabetes to dominate us; we have to dominate diabetes to have a better life.

I tell the parents: if I could get ahead then, how they are not going to go out now with all the advances there are.I try to send positive energy, "said Angela's mother. And, finally, she warned: Diabetes has no age limit, may appear at any time, even in the first months.