BILLINGS — A Billings Senior High graduate is aiming to make an impact fighting type 1 diabetes.
Maggie Ewing, 18, spent her high school career working on a community advocacy project about type 1 diabetes for young diabetics, after her own isolating and challenging experience with the chronic illness.
See Ewing's project up close:
Ewing graduated from high school in June after an intense and rigorous four years taking advanced placement and honors courses.
During high school, Ewing was a part of the "Platinum Scholars" program, along with a handful of other students. In the program, each student is tasked with a senior capstone project of their choice to work on, on top of other school assignments.
After Ewing's own experience with type 1 diabetes, she decided to make her senior capstone a community advocacy project about the disease, especially for younger generations who may be struggling with the isolation that comes alongside the diagnosis.
"They're not alone. There's other people out there with type 1," Ewing said Wednesday.
Ewing was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was only three years old. She said that as a child, she went to a diabetes camp for kids with the illness, where she met a few friends who could understand her experience. However, Ewing said her middle and high school years were quite isolating, as most of her school friends don't share her experience.
"Initially, I think... the mental side of things was hard," she said.
Ewing, now a young adult, reflects on life with diabetes with gratitude, though.
"Instead of being such a burden, it helped me realize it's actually a gift in a way," said Ewing.
According to Ewing, managing diabetes has helped her with her time-management skills and responsibilities. While spreading awareness about the illness, Ewing also hopes to change diabetics' perspective about the chronic condition through her advocacy project.
Ewing's project contained three components: a community outreach flyer, a booklet with frequently asked questions, and a presentation.
The booklet contains lots of questions Ewing had about diabetes when she was a child. She said she included questions that may be embarrassing for a child to ask their parents or a healthcare provider. The book also contains QR codes with links to tutorial videos, and a parental-guidance section.
"I created videos that you can just scan the QR code... and you can watch how I do a step-by-step tutorial on how to check your blood sugar," she said.
The community outreach pamphlet was designed to provide contact info, so diabetics needing emotional support can reach out to Ewing.
While creating the project, Ewing had the opportunity to learn more about type 1 diabetes, while working alongside her mentor, Dr. Colleen Wood at Billings Clinic.
Ewing has been seeing Wood since she was four years old. In the past 14 years, the two have become extremely close, as Wood sees her pediatric diabetic patients every three months until early adulthood.
"Literally, there is no better gift that a physician can receive than what Maggie did," said Wood.
Wood's current role at Billings Clinic is a pediatric endocrinologist. She's one of four specialists in Montana, with one other in Billings at St. Vincent Regional Healthcare, a provider in Bozeman, and another in Kalispell.
Wood said part of the reason the specialty is so rare is because of the intense training required. Besides Wood's four years of medical school and four years of residency, she also did four years of endocrinology fellowship training.
"I love my job. So, I think going back to do my endocrine residency fellowship was probably the best thing that I did for my personal career," said Wood.
Wood has been a strong supporter of Ewing's project, going as far as to hang Ewing's outreach fliers throughout her clinic.
"She was a bright and inquisitive, and thoughtful four-year-old, who had opinions about her diabetes care from day one," said Wood.
Wood has even inspired Ewing to follow in her footsteps, as Ewing will be attending the University of Montana in the fall to become an endocrinologist.
"I have no doubt in my mind that she's going to be a doctor," said Wood.
"I hope to, hopefully, fulfill the role that Dr. Colleen Wood has at Billings Clinic. I consider her a professional pediatric endocrinologist diabetic advocate," said Ewing.
Now that the project is finished, Ewing and Wood hope to inspire diabetics across the state, assuring them that life doesn't end at a diagnosis.
"It's actually a light in a seemingly dark situation," Ewing said.
"If your kid gets diagnosed with a chronic illness of any sort, we got you. This is great," said Wood.
