When you're young, the last thing you want to be is different.
For Jillian Rokowski, growing up with juvenile diabetes meant turning down cake at birthday parties. During class, she had to nibble peanut-butter crackers to keep her blood-sugar levels in check. At least twice a day, she'd sneak off to give herself insulin shots.
And when Rokowski was diagnosed at age 10, her parents -- cringe -- showed a video in the cafeteria of her Orlando, Fla., elementary school so her peers would understand her medical condition.
"It was horrific," said Rokowski, now 21, of St. Petersburg, Fla. Worse, it didn't make any difference. Kids still asked Rokowski if her diabetes was contagious. "Everybody was always weirded out by it, and the teachers didn't help," she said. "I remember in fourth and fifth grade, I didn't go on any field trips because the teachers were like, 'Well, we don't really feel comfortable at this point.' "
After eight years of wearing a bracelet to identify herself as diabetic, Rokowski invented Watch and Alert, a timepiece that discreetly tips off medics to the condition while helping teens and young adults fit in with peers.
As many as 3 million Americans have juvenile, or type 1, diabetes, according to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. People with a chronic medical condition are encouraged to wear a bracelet or necklace and carry a wallet card that alerts medics to their condition; in case they lose consciousness, medics can quickly zoom in on the problem.
But many teens and young adults would rather not. That's why Rokowski began designing medical watches about a year ago, with help from her mom, Laurie Channell. They come in seven styles and cost $30 to $45. Each may be customized for any condition -- say, allergies or epilepsy. Most have engraveable backs for inscribing more details.
But unless paramedics know to look for the medical symbol, then the watches are useful only for keeping time. Last fall, Rokowski had gone on a long walk along the beach. The sun was setting, Rokowski was far from her car, there was no one around and she could feel herself getting woozy. She had on the watch, but if she fainted would anyone know to look for it?
"I was praying the whole time, 'Please, just let me get back to my car and not pass out here on the beach,' " Rokowski said. Shortly afterward, Rokowski contacted Pinellas County, Fla., Emergency Medical Services and got a photo of the watches inserted into the EMS training manual.
"We put it on the training calendar as an 'FYI, this is an additional thing to look for in addition to a bracelet or a necklace,' " said Pat Vines, rescue program coordinator for St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue. "If we can recognize that (patients) have an already pre-existing condition, we can focus quicker on that condition. Like if they're diabetic and they're unconscious, the first thing we're going to check is their sugar level."
To rack up some publicity, Rokowski, a marketing major at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, wants to send a watch to tween heartthrob Nick Jonas of the popular Jonas Brothers. He revealed in 2007 that he has juvenile diabetes.
"If I got it in the hands of a JoBro," Rokowski said, "then every preteen in the world would want to wear it whether they had a condition or not."
Order at watchandalert.com. For more information, call 727-460-7764 or e-mail jillian(at)watchandalert.com
(E-mail dalia(at)sptimes.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)
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