Diabetes can’t stop PEP scholar

Being diagnosed with diabetes at age nine and navigating transitions many adults struggle to adjust to, Khai-Lee Mendez refused to let illness define her future.

The 11-year-old Steps Academy student in St Ann’s Bay pushed through hospital stays, strict routines and daily sacrifices to pass for her first choice, Westwood High School, and snag multiple awards at graduation on Wednesday.

“I felt excited and proud of myself. I always ask Mommy to help me study and I studied hard, so I am glad I got my first choice,” Khai-Lee said. “It was a little hard but my teachers and my family helped me.”

She collected six trophies and a certificate, including for Most Outstanding Academic Performance, and Highest PEP Score.

“I always wanted to go to Westwood High because I always thought it was a good school,” she said.

The diagnosis that challenged the entire family made her victory even sweeter. The turning point came on October 23, 2023. Her father Keithlen Mendez admitted that her illness was frightening. He recalled how his daughter spent nearly two weeks in hospital after doctors confirmed diabetes following a sudden spike in blood sugar. Her mother was the first to notice something strange.

“I was abroad and when I came back, I saw she was acting a little different, drinking a lot and constantly itching,” said her mother, Dahmone Pounall. “They couldn’t figure it out at first.” But Pounall had a theory, as being a diabetic herself, she also itches when her sugar is high.

“I asked them to test her sugar and they realised it was very high,” she said. From that point, childhood routines shifted into structured medical care.

“They monitored her for about two weeks and we couldn’t give her any outside food. The doctors showed us how to handle the insulin needle and we do it at home,” she said. At home, adjustments became daily discipline, including cutting out noodles, which she loved.

“Me and her father had to make adjustments as well. I am type 2 diabetic so certain things I can eat, she can’t at all. Her dad loves Pepsi but him stop buy it because then Khai-Lee would want some,” she said.

“She has to bring the monitor to school to test her sugar. I think she got used to it. She wasn’t bothered after a while,” Pounall told THE WEEKEND STAR. Mendez admitted that he sometimes cries about her condition, but knows he has to cope because her situation is not unique.

“I go on YouTube and watch other videos, see younger kids with the diagnosis thriving and that give me motivation,” he said. “It’s hard because we cannot give her the regular food and what she should eat is more expensive. But we have to do what we have to.”

Even with those challenges, Khai-Lee never stepped away from her goals.

“She’s always been brilliant,” her mother said. “Her top choices were Westwood, St Hilda’s and York Castle, but every day she would sing about Westwood. She knew deep down she was passing.”

Khai-Lee wants to become a teacher in the future and loves math. She encourages her peers who may be in a similar position to “keep your head up high and don’t let anyone discourage you”.

“You can do it if you put your mind to it.”