According to Sr. Martha Mary Carpenter, Principal of St. Peter Indian Mission School on the Gila River Reservation “diabetes is an inherent problem for the Gila River Pima. The National Institute of Health has tested and studied our people for the last 40 years. And medically speaking, the Gila River Pima have the highest incidence of diabetes of any ethnic group in the world.”

Watch video on fight against diabetes in Franciscanized World video section.

So, in the words of Sr. Martha to “offset the onset” of diabetes, “ We start out the day by kicking in the kids’ metabolism by running 2,3,4 laps around our field until school starts.” Then, after morning prayer and breakfast, every student runs another mile. “We say before 10:00 because we don’t let them run when it’s over 100 degrees because they just dehydrate too soon.”

“We have made this part of our curriculum. When families sign up to send their children here, they have to buy into this program or go to another school. We also have a very strict program of nutrition - And we try to have a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables in our menu, because we know at home they don’t get that. And we want to give them healthy eating practices that will carry on into life. And we’ve been here long enough to see that it is successful. “

“My whole time in community has been with Indian people. I come from a very materialistic culture. Even in religious life you can become very materialistic – and things can become more important than people. But when you live with Indian people who live so close to the earth, who are poor. And have nothing but each other. And God. You realize that God is their fortress, their stronghold, their source of energy, and I draw great strength from that.”

Some facts:

The traditional name of the Pima Tribe is Akimel O'Odham (River People...in reference to the Gila River that was the life blood of the community)

The Akimel O'odham and Tohono (Desert) O'odham (People) share the same native language.

Type 2 diabetes begins when the body develops a resistance to insulin and no longer uses the insulin properly. As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce sufficient amounts of insulin to regulate blood sugar.

Health care providers are finding more and more children with type 2 diabetes, a disease usually diagnosed in adults aged 40 years or older.

Originally, neither the Pima’s or Tohono O'odham’s language included a definition for ‘diabetes”.

Some resources:

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/pima/genetic/genetic.htm