Asthma

Blaine battled with chronic asthma most of his life and on September 13, 2015 passed away from Acute Asthmatic Bronchitis. According to the CDC, asthma is a leading chronic illness among children and adolescents in the United States and one of the leading causes of school absenteeism. On average, in a classroom of 30 children, about 3 are likely to have asthma. Asthma attacks and emergency room visits are more likely to happen with children than adults. Teachers, coaches, day care providers, and educators can help children manage their asthma. But according to the American Thoracic Society, the annual per-person incremental medical cost of asthma was $3,266.

The Good News? According to the CDC, asthma episodes have declined in children from all races and ethnicities from 2001 through 2016. The Insaneo Blaineo Foundation is dedicated to continuing this trend in the Des Moines community by purchasing Asthma Kits which include educational materials and equipment to help schools better support their students with asthma.

Diabetes

Four months prior to Blaine’s death, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. According to the CDC, Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults, but it can develop at any age. It is less common than Type 2 diabetes, with approximately 5 - 10% of people with diabetes having Type 1. JDRF reports that about 200,000 youth under 20 years old have diabetes and in the U.S., there are $16 billion in T1D-associated healthcare expenditures and lost income annually. Currently, no one knows how to prevent Type 1 diabetes.

The Good News? It can be managed by following your doctor’s recommendations for living a healthy lifestyle, managing your blood sugar, getting regular health checkups, and getting diabetes self-management education and support. The Insaneo Blaineo Foundation is dedicated to supporting those efforts by helping to send young children to the educational Camp Hertko Hollow and assisting in purchasing Diabetic Alert Dogs with Heads Up Hounds to help kids better manage their Type 1 diabetes.

Families of Fallen Soldiers

Both of Blaine’s grandfathers were in the military and he was extremely proud of the dedication they gave to their country. According to DoSomething.org, since 2001, more than 2 million American children have had a parent deployed at least once and children in military families experience high rates of mental health, trauma, and related problems. About 30% reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks during the past 12 months. Nearly 1 in 4 reported having considered suicide. Bereavement experts report that for each active duty military loss, an average of 10 people are significantly impacted. Research conducted by The Lucas Group on behalf of Children of Fallen Patriots found that nearly 20,000 dependents have been left behind by troops who have fallen in the line of duty over the past 35 years. Many surviving families struggle to make ends meet with 63% of surviving spouses making less than $50,000 per year.

According to the VA, the number of Veteran suicides exceeded 6,000 each year from 2008 to 2017. Among U.S. adults, the average number of suicides per day rose from 86.6 in 2005 to 124.4 in 2017, including 15.9 Veteran suicides per day in 2005 and 16.8 in 2017. In 2017, the suicide rate for Veterans was 1.5 times the rate for non-Veteran adults, after adjusting for population differences in age and sex.

The Good News? Suicide prevention is a national priority and VA is dedicated to this mission. Since 2017, the VA has continued to work actively in partnership with the White House, Congress, Veterans Health Administration networks, and federal and community partners to address the issue of Veteran suicide. The Insaneo Blaineo Foundation is supporting the continuation of this work by supporting The Titan Project which helps provide scholarships to high school seniors in memory of the fallen hero’s, presented by the family of the fallen at the hero’s school in honor of their selfless service.

Resources:

  • https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/asthma/index.htm

  • https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/asthmadata.htm

  • https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/schools.html

  • https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201703-259OC

  • https://www.aafa.org/asthma-facts/

  • https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/type1.html

  • https://www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/about/facts/

  • https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-military-families

  • https://www.fallenpatriots.org/who-we-are

  • https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2019/2019_National_Veteran_Suicide_Prevention_Annual_Report_508.pdf