For someone who's only 13 years old, Jake MacDonald knows a great deal about nutrition. The Notre Dame Regional secondary school student will tell you that an average-sized apple contains about 20 grams of carbohydrates. A six-ounce glass of skim milk has about half that amount. A slice of toast generally contains 12 to 15 grams of carbohydrates. He also knows how much insulin is required to absorb the blood sugars generated by each meal he eats.

“I’m very good at math,” MacDonald said in an interview with the Georgia Straight at his school. “It’s one of my better subjects.”

MacDonald spends a lot of time reading food-packaging labels. He knows that if he didn’t do this, he would be putting his life in jeopardy. That’s because MacDonald has Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

“It’s a very terrible disease and it affects 300,000 people across Canada,” he said. “It sticks with you for life and it’s a slow killer, which is why they need a cure. A lot of complications come from it, like heart disease and kidney failures. It’s pretty big.”

On his waist, MacDonald wears a computerized insulin pump, which transmits the sugar-absorbing hormone into his bloodstream. Before a meal, he enters the amount of carbohydrates he will consume as well as his blood-sugar level. When asked if he ever eats dinner without keeping track of what he’s eating, he replied, “No. It’s not an option. I always have to watch and test, and take insulin.”

If blood-sugar levels rise too high, the blood thickens. Over long periods of time, this can severely damage internal organs. If a diabetic takes too much insulin, however, that can cause blood-sugar levels to crash, which can induce a coma and even death. MacDonald tests himself frequently to ensure he stays within the appropriate range, but it’s not easy. “I’ve never had to call 911 for being low [on blood sugar],” MacDonald said. “I’ve never passed out before.”

Journalist James S. Hirsch, a Type 1 diabetic, wrote in his book Cheating Destiny: Living With Diabetes, America’s Biggest Epidemic (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006) that he learned very early on that “the price of health is eternal vigilance”. After his son developed Type 1 diabetes, he noted that for parents, “the price of devotion is chronic paranoia”.

MacDonald’s mother, Marisa, understands that feeling. In a phone interview with the Straight, she described Type 1 diabetes as a 24-hour-a-day disease. She said she hasn’t had a complete night of sleep since he was diagnosed eight years ago. Often, she or her husband will go into their son’s room at night to ensure he hasn’t slipped into a coma, particularly after he has played sports in the evening.

“It’s just such a hard thing to manage: the blood control versus the insulin versus the food versus the exercise,” she said. “It’s a challenge.”

She said that since her son received an insulin pump, his life has become less regimented. When MacDonald was receiving insulin through injections, he needed to have protein and carbohydrates at every meal. Now, he can indulge in the occasional cupcake because the pump enables him to shoot insulin into his bloodstream to offset the effects. “It gives him the freedom to be a kid,” his mother noted.

The MacDonald family will participate in the Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes, which takes place on Sunday (June 13) at Queen Elizabeth Park. Their team, known as “Jake’s Mates”, recently raised $4,500 at a pub night, and MacDonald said the goal for the year is $7,000.

Rita Thodos, regional manager for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, told the Straight by phone that people can bring pledge forms to the park beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the area near the corner of 33rd Avenue and Ontario Street. The annual walk will proceed through the park beginning at 11 a.m., followed by some festivities. For more information, go to www.jdrf.ca/.

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.