St Ann's Bay PEP Scholar Khai-Lee Mendez Overcomes Diabetes Challenges to Earn Westwood High Place

At age nine, Khai-Lee Mendez learnt she had diabetes, but her family said the diagnosis never knocked her off her academic track. Now 11 and attending Steps Academy in St Ann's Bay, she earned a place at her first-choice school, Westwood High School, and walked away with several prizes at Wednesday's graduation.

Khai-Lee said the result left her happy after months of studying with support from home and school. "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."

The 11-year-old collected six trophies along with a certificate, among them awards for Most Outstanding Academic Performance and Highest PEP Score. She said Westwood High had long been the school she wanted to attend. "I always wanted to go to Westwood High because I always thought it was a good school," she said.

Her parents said the achievement carries extra meaning because of what the family has had to manage since October 23, 2023. Her father, Keithlen Mendez, said the news was frightening, and he recalled that Khai-Lee spent close to two weeks in hospital after doctors confirmed the illness when her blood sugar suddenly rose.

According to her mother, Dahmone Pounall, the first warning signs appeared after she returned from overseas. "I was abroad and when I came back, I saw she was acting a little different, drinking a lot and constantly itching," Pounall said. "They couldn't figure it out at first." Because she is diabetic too, Pounall suspected high sugar levels. "I asked them to test her sugar and they realised it was very high," she said.

Once the diagnosis was made, regular childhood routines gave way to a tightly managed system of care. Pounall said doctors observed her daughter for about two weeks, restricted outside food and taught the family how to use the insulin needle at home. "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.

Life at home also had to change. Pounall said noodles, one of Khai-Lee's favourites, had to come off the menu, and both parents adjusted their own habits as well. "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 said.

Keithlen Mendez said some days the reality still brings him to tears, but he keeps looking for examples that help him stay steady. "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 the medical demands, Khai-Lee never eased up on her goals, her mother said. Pounall described her as a bright child whose three preferred schools were Westwood, St Hilda's and York Castle, but said Westwood was always the one she talked about most. "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."

Looking ahead, Khai-Lee said she wants to become a teacher and named maths as the subject she enjoys most. Her message to other children facing their own challenges was simple: "keep your head up high and don't let anyone discourage you". "You can do it if you put your mind to it."