2 Friday, July 7, 2017 brooklintowncrier.com Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson Brooklin's Medical Jewel Everyone knows it won't be long before Columbus Road will cease being at the northern fringe of Brooklin. As well, there are plenty of buildings in the community that pre-date Confederation. Only one though combines history with such an impressive present that it is regarded as unique in North America. Anyone with Type 1 diabetes probably already knows about the Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre. It sits on the former Maple Shade Farm on the north east corner of Columbus and Thickson, surrounded by nothing. Or at least it's nothing for now. A somewhat non-descript building originally constructed by James Dryden in 1835, this facility provides life-saving support and education to thousands of young and old diabetes patients. The Dryden house was owned by four generations of Drydens for 133 years and many of them were prominent in local and provincial politics. The Diabetes Centre moved to the location in 2011 and has been providing programming to patients from not just Durham, but also points further afield. It serves about 350 families of children (under age 19) with Type 1 along with about 1200 adults who attend the centre for further support. Diabetes is a major health issue in Canada with 11 million people having either the disease or prediabetes (diabetes.ca). That's nearly a third of our population, so it's no trifling number. The Diabetes Canada website states "Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and kills the beta cells of the pancreas. No, or very little, insulin is released into the body. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood instead of being used as energy. About five to 10 per cent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes generally develops in childhood or adolescence, but can develop in adulthood." The Best Centre works with diabetics in educating them on how best to cope with and manage the disease. Its array of services such as crisis intervention and 24/7 communication access along with a highly trained staff are, according to its founder Marlene Grass RN, unmatched in Canada and likely on the continent. She says it takes upwards of a year to train other RNs in this specialized field. But none of it comes cheap. While Scotiabank has long been a major sponsor, the Centre is a registered charity and still has to do a great deal of fundraising with about 43% of its $1 million-plus budget coming from other sources. With diabetes numbers increasing, the facility is already planning expansion by renovating what was its 90-year old garage next door. Who knew...that in our quaint and quiet 'burb sat a world class medical facility where staff aim to help people live with this disease? For more information, visit charleshbest. com, email: bestdiabetes@charleshbest.com or phone 905-620-0360.