Diabetes instructor warns of ‘Blood Sugar Blues’

By Scott Kirk

When pharmacist Greg Young told Donna Goble, diabetes coordinator for Hendrick Medical Center, that he had something new to try in a diabetes support group, all she could do was trust him.
"I thought he was going to change the curriculum," Goble said.
Young, who serves as a diabetes educator as well as working at Hendrick Professional Pharmacy, didn't change the curriculum any, but his delivery that January day was decidedly different.
He sang.
Dressed in a dark suit, sunglasses and a fedora, Young performed his original work, "Blood Sugar Blues."
"When you're new, you can get away with things," Young said.
The song is about what happens to diabetics if their blood sugar level gets low and they "treat" it with more sugar — such as a soda or sweets — causing blood sugar levels to get too high.
Goble loved it.
"It breaks the ice," she said." This is something that has happened to all of them."
She liked it so much that she and the rest of the diabetes management staff helped Young make a music video of "Blood Sugar Blues" during the spring. The video can be seen on the Hendrick's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hendrickhealth/videos.
The video has been seen by more than 20,000 people, according to Lynne Bruton, public relations coordinator for Hendrick.
It turns out that Young has some musical chops.
"I've done music all my life," he said." I couldn't make a living at it — I'd starve."
Young has performed at church and with bands, as well as performing on the street.
"If I could, I'd be a professional street musician," said Young, who acknowledged that he preferred performing in front of small groups rather than large audiences.
He stressed, however, that this isn't about his musical abilities but about reinforcing messages on managing diabetes.
"I wanted to make sure that the people (in the support group) didn't think I was making fun of their condition," Young said. "People who have a chronic illness have a burden."
Goble said the song fits with her message to diabetic patients that they shouldn't beat themselves up over the fact that they have the condition.
"People might tell them, 'Well, you did this to yourself,' " she said."Our goal is not to be the police, but to be encouragers."
When it came time to pick the people to appear with him in the video, Young said he instinctively went with his Hendrick Diabetes Center colleagues, whose passion inspired him to get certified as a diabetes educator.
"They're a fun bunch," he said." We're a team, and a band is a type of team."
The video was cranked out in less than a day. Bruton created a storyboard, and filming took about an hour and a half in front of the diabetes center on Hickory Street.
Goble said the staff felt comfortable making the video because of Young.
"We trust Greg, that he wasn't going to make us look like blooming idiots," she said.
Although it was made to be fun, the song's major theme is the "rule of 15": Consume 15 grams of carbohydrates and wait 15 minutes to check your blood sugar.
"Low blood sugar is a horrible thing," Young said. "It can be as dangerous as a stroke."
Young said Goble's preparation for the support groups is impressive.
"Donna updates her lectures every two or three months," said Young, whose own presentations concern medications.
Goble said the center is recognized by the American Diabetes Association, which makes the most current diabetes studies available to Hendrick.
"Awareness is really important," she said, adding a quote from the late Elliott Joslin, considered a pioneer in diabetes treatment: "The patient who knows the most lives the longest."
Young said he incorporates many of Goble's sayings into his presentations, including "Put down that stick you're beating yourself with."
"Donna's got a lot of pretty good country girl advice," Young said. "She also does a pretty good June Carter Cash."
That perhaps is fitting because Young has a second song — a version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" that incorporates verses about diabetes care. That video hasn't been made yet, but as they say, it's in the works.

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