Dr. Russell Vester, who works as a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Mercy Health near Cincinnati, has been active as a board member with the Southwest Ohio chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) since his daughter, Hannah, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 16.
Hannah was a distance swimmer for the Cincinnati Aquatic Club in high school. During a championship meet, Vester noticed Hannah had looked more exhausted than normal when she left the pool after each event, was drinking more water than normal and went to the bathroom often. Coupled with her loss of seven pounds in just two weeks, Vester suspected something was off.
Wanting to act fast, he purchased a diabetes test kit from a drug store. It revealed that Hannah’s blood sugar level was over 600. It should have been around 100 milligrams per deciliter.
Hannah was admitted to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The news affected everyone.
“It is a change not (just) for the child or the parents. It is a change for the entire family.” - Dr. Russell Vester
This new development meant Vester and his wife, Petra, had to get up twice a night to check Hannah’s blood sugar, among other measures taken to ensure her safety and good health.
“When you’re confronted with that type of event as a physician and parent, you want to do everything you can to try and manage the problem as fast as possible and make it go away,” Vester says. “From my perspective, the best way to do that and make sure her health care needs were met was to seek out an organization that’s conducting … research with science and technology to help manage the disease and, hopefully, find a cure for it.”
Hannah encouraged her father to get involved with the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Vester joined the board 18 months after Hannah was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and has remained active ever since, with fundraising a major part of his efforts.
As a family, the Vesters have raised more than $100,000. Petra also chaired the annual gala in May, setting a record of $1.45 million raised by the 900 attendees. Vester focuses his efforts on the numerous walks and destination bike rides.
“People from all across the country will gather at various spots and ride 25, 50 or 100 miles, and each individual gets people to sponsor them at the $2,000 level, $3,000 level, $4,000 level,” he says. “Our chapter has one of the largest group of riders in the country.”
Vester thinks of the JDRF as “the best family you never wanted to belong to.”
“It’s an absolutely marvelous group of people who are unified by a single cause, and they’re driven for the betterment of the adults and, in particular, the children that have a disease that, if isn’t watched 24 hours a day, can kill you,” he says.
Until a cure can be found, the deadly threat of Type 1 diabetes will remain, Vester says.
“One of the things that constantly drives me is to get a cure for (Type 1 diabetes) so that others don’t have to experience this,” he says. “Any parent of any child with any life-threatening chronic disease knows what that feels like, and it’s not just diabetes.
"It gives you a different perspective on life and what’s important, and the things we take for granted as individuals.” - Dr. Russell Vester
At age 23, Hannah still battles to manage the disease daily, but she is determined to remain an active young woman.
“She is refusing to let it shape or change who she is or how she approaches life, and it’s remarkable to see the amount of effort she puts forth just so she can do the things that other people do,” he says. That’s what (patients with diabetes mellitus) live through. And when you see them doing that … it really does humble you as a person. Whatever problems you’re facing, you know it’s really not that bad. It gives you a perspective that helps you stratify what truly is and isn’t important.”
Vester urges parents of children with Type 1 diabetes to connect with the JDRF or a similar organization that can provide support for the entire family.
“Reach out and get help,” says Vester. “The JDRF organization is there for you. It will provide … help, guidance, research, referrals … to help manage this disease.”
Matthew Kent is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
About the Expert
S. Russell Vester, MD, FACS is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Mercy Health. He earned his doctorate from the University of Cincinnati and completed residencies in general surgery at Boston University Medical Center and cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. He then completed a fellowship in pediatric congenital heart surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery and American Board of Thoracic Surgery. His specialties include adult congenital heart, aortic, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeries.
