Lions Screening at Day Worker Center

On November 21st, Lions from the Silicon Valley Lions Club and San José Amigos Lions Club screened vision and blood sugar for clients and families at the Day Worker Center of Mountain View. The purpose of these neighborhood screenings is to flag risk factors for blindness, as a measure of prevention.

Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable blindness, and our screening identified five possible cases of diabetes. One of these was a gentleman whose blood sugar was over 600 (125 is considered borderline diabetic).

With a blood sugar reading that high, he could have blacked out at any moment. He had been losing weight rapidly over the last four months, meaning his blood sugar was over 400 for at least four months, and his body was literally consuming its own muscle mass.

One of our Lions took the man to Valley Medical Center and waited with him through the better part of the next eight hours, as he was evaluated, diagnosed with Type II diabetes and received medication to begin treatment.

Thanks to all who volunteered, and a very special thanks to Lion John for his willingness to go the extra mile and transport our patient to the hospital and get him squared away.