LeeAnn Mullen
The Chronicle-Telegram

SHEFFIELD LAKE — For the past 25 years, Volunteer Services for Diabetics has lent a helping hand to Lorain County residents with the disease.

But in a tight economy, the organization’s well of generosity has almost run dry — just like the swimming pool at Carousel Swim Club on Lake Breeze Road. Only because of the work of several volunteers is the pool opening at all this year. They cleaned and got it ready for its debut Sunday. As for next year?

Whether it opens at all remains a question.

Financial shortcomings made it seem that the pool wouldn’t open this year at all. The organization has run and maintained it for several years, and it gives free memberships to all county residents who suffer from diabetes.

For others, the pool charges $150 for a single-season pass.

But the pool looked to be a luxury when other needs were stacked up.

“The funding just wasn’t there,” said program director Denise Hockenberry. “When the finances are low, the medicines just have to come first.”

But the volunteers saved it this year, because they know exactly how critical it is for most diabetics to swim for cardiovascular health.

Meg Hurst, 67, of Elyria, is a diabetic who uses the Olympic-sized pool at Carousel.

“Water therapy has single-handedly kept me out of a wheelchair,” she said. “I have a condition where if I stand up for even a few minutes, I get dizzy and can even faint due to my diabetes. In the water, though, I can do anything. It keeps me healthy.”

Volunteer Services is kept afloat by its small bingo program, which operates every Monday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Breezewood Party Center, located next to the swim club. Attendance and spending at the program have steadily declined, leaving the program with very little funding to support low-income diabetics.

“I am on Medicare now, but years ago, I was not so lucky,” said Hurst, who is blind. “If it weren’t for Volunteer Services, I don’t know that I’d be here. They provided my insulin when I could not afford it. They were my life line.”

Many residents in Lorain County with limited financial means cannot afford diabetes medications. Without them, these individuals risk blindness, limb amputation and even death.

“As a diabetic, it’s really important to go to the pool to keep my blood sugar low and to lose weight,” said Jennifer Saenz, 31, of Sheffield. “It’s about prevention more than anything. Without the water, we get sicker and sicker and place a huge strain on insurance companies, for those of us that are lucky enough to have insurance.”

Hockenberry spoke of an e-mail she received from a single mother who is diabetic and whose 8-year-old son was recently diagnosed with the disease.

“She wanted to know how she could get a free pass to the pool for her child. Her other son is in need of a kidney transplant,” Hockenberry said. “It was heartbreaking to tell her that we might not be able to help.”

Want to help?
For more information on the Volunteer Services for Diabetics or to donate or volunteer, call Denise Hockenberry, director, at (440) 949-7036 or visit www.volunteerservicesfordiabetics.org

Contact LeeAnn Mullen at 329-7155 or metro@chroniclet.com. 

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