Traci Scott has made a positive impact not only on my family but on all of her patients and their families. My family met Traci through an encounter I would have given everything I had in order to avoid. After raising a child with type I diabetes, my grandson (who my husband and I are raising) was diagnosed two years ago. With heavy hearts, we were led down this path with a child once again knowing the lifestyle changes to be made as well as the endless battles with maintaining an A1C that would represent control of the disease. I am a nurse, but when it is your child it is an entirely different playing field.
Our first visit to GRU's Pediatric Endocrine Clinic allowed us to meet Dr. H and Traci Scott. Immediately we were put at ease and told the disease was managed differently than it was 30 plus years ago and if we worked together the outcome would be good. Quickly Traci embraced my grandson, my husband, and me. It was a relief to find not only was she a CDE, but was a mom just like me, who has a child with diabetes. There was an immediate connection a sort of meeting of kindred souls. Traci took time, unrushed, to answer our questions and to give us material that would help us control the disease.
My eight-year-old grandson was relaxed and calm in Traci's care. He knew about the disease through watching his aunt and the complications she faced as well as his biological grandfather and his battle to manage his type I also, but Traci talked with him and he understood that she was there for him... he was not just another patient... he really mattered to her. On our second visit my grandson's A1C had dropped from 7.5 to 6.5. Traci made herself available to us as a family allowing for calls on weekends, nights, and holidays when we would have questions or concerns or just needing to talk. As we began looking for ways to manage the disease, my grandson started using an insulin pump. Traci spent several afternoons talking with us about various insulin pumps, giving instructions on infusing, loading, and site maintenance never tiring of our questions.
One afternoon, we were experiencing some challenges with our infusion sets so we called on Traci to assist us. She allowed us to come in to the office the same afternoon and spent time working with our grandson and his anxiety with the infusion sets. She was compassionate and caring while she did not acknowledge it in his presence; she was sharing in his struggle. The thing is we were no more special than all the other families... this is just Traci's way of providing care to her patients and their families. Traci spends tireless hours educating parents who are devastated by their children's diagnosis all the while remembering how their lives are impacted from her own personal experience.
Within a few months, I had the awesome experience of working alongside her at two diabetic camps and continue to volunteer with her more this year all the while soaking up the knowledge that she pours out. Traci feels it is important for the children and their families to be a part of a support group so she organizes parties and activities in which the children and families can be involved; from a holiday party, a soft ball game with a major league player, to a meeting that allows children to answer questions as to how diabetes has impacted their lives. I have experienced her joy when another camp has ended on a successful note as campers cry because they are being picked up and must wait until the next camp rolls around.
Traci is not only the diabetic nurse for each of the children; they treat her like a family member and she them. They rush to have her hugs and feel she has all the answers to all their questions while together they will remain healthy in her embrace. I jokingly refer to her as Angeldiabetica... she is our strength in our fight to keep our children healthy.