Time to pucker up for Porky

Friday, Feb. 7, 2003 | 2:43 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: Feb. 8, 2003

Whoever raises the most money for the American Diabetes Association Western Division Las Vegas office gets the prize -- a pig to kiss.

Planting a big wet one on the snout of a baby pig is an honor that officials of various companies, medical associations and organizations have strived to achieve for the past decade in Southern Nevada.

For this year's 10th annual event, three individual competitors and one two-person team are conducting fund-raisers that will culminate at 11 a.m. Feb. 22 at the Galleria at Sunset with the big pig buss in front of Galyan's Sporting Goods. R.C. Farms will provide the smooching porcine.

"Insulin originally came from the pig (pancreas)," said Rose Gartland, area manager for the American Diabetes Association. "Before that, people with diabetes had a very short life span."

Insulin is a body chemical that breaks down sugar in the bloodstream. The pancreas in diabetics does not produce enough insulin to perform that function.

Pork-based insulin was first produced for human use in 1921 at a time when some diabetics died within six weeks of being diagnosed with the disease, Gartland said. Today insulin is synthetically produced. Both pork insulin and the synthetic version have been credited with saving millions of lives.

Diabetes is incurable but controllable by oral medication, diet, exercise and insulin injections -- though most diabetics do not require insulin.

This year's goal for the Kiss-the-Pig fund-raiser is $45,000. Last year, Bill Timberman, then-general manager of Manheim's Greater Nevada Auto Auction, whose mother died from diabetes, raised $41,000 and kissed the pig. Timberman died in November from heart disease.

In 2000 Mark Brunn, also a former general manager of Manheim's Greater Nevada Auto Auction, raised $54,000.

Community leaders who have volunteered to raise funds, and numbers to call in donations, are:

"Diabetes is one of the top killers, yet people with diabetes can live a healthy life despite the disease," said Kiser-Parker, an ADA board member whose mother has diabetes.

"If we don't raise the funds we can't do our public outreach programs and encourage people to go to their doctor and get tested."

Las Vegas has an estimated 90,800 diabetics. Nationwide about 15.7 million people have diabetes -- all but about 1 million with Type II or "adult-onset" diabetes.

Only two-thirds of Americans with diabetes know they have diabetes, officials said, noting many decline to get a simple blood test because of fears about the disease. People with blood sugar readings above 126 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) are diabetics.

Type II diabetes is usually diagnosed in overweight people over 40, though in recent years a rising number of sufferers have been sedentary children. Those most at risk for Type II diabetes don't exercise, have a family history of diabetes or have given birth to babies weighing more than nine pounds.

Type I diabetes is commonly called "juvenile diabetes." Sufferers must take insulin because their pancreases stop producing insulin altogether.

Symptoms for both types include frequent urination, thirst, sudden weight loss, blurry vision, slow-healing wounds and a tingling in the feet.

Consequences of not treating diabetes include potential blindness, loss of kidney function and loss of limbs.