Oakland second baseman Mark Ellis learned a life-changing lesson as a young boy in South Dakota. He watched as his paternal grandmother slowly decayed under the effects of adult onset diabetes.

At the same time, his good friend Barry Tice was learning how to deal with juvenile diabetes. They remain close friends to this day.

Those reminders motivate Ellis as he raises funds and awareness for diabetes through his Putouts For Diabetes Program. Ellis and shortstop Bobby Crosby each donate $50 per putout toward their annual presentation to the American Diabetes Association. The program is in its second year.

Ellis spent part of Thursday's off-day visiting with about 50 children at the Fremont/Newark YMCA. He was joined by Theresa Garnero, director of diabetes services at Washington Hospital Healthcare System.

"I watched my grandmother lose her vision and watched her give herself insulin shots," Ellis said. "Also, she eventually died because of diabetes."

Things have changed since his grandmother passed away. Thanks in part to support for programs from people like Ellis and Garnero, learning to avoid diabetes and learning to live with it if it does happen has become simple.

Ellis received his first test for diabetes, showing the kids that a simple blood test can give you the answer right away. Ellis' diabetes test came up clean, although Garnero correctly guessed that he might not have eaten a healthy lunch.

"I've had to educate myself about [diabetes], because I'm at risk. I've always been a little scared [getting tested]," Ellis said. "I thought if I didn't know, it wouldn't hurt. There are ways to prevent it, though. [The test] didn't hurt at all."

Most of the kids, ages ranging from 6 to 13, were there to see Ellis. The first thing 6-year-old Darrin Xu asked to no one in particular, "Where's Mark?"

Ellis showed up after a YMCA director gave the kids some safety instructions. The well-behaved kids were a nice reflection on the YMCA.

Garnero opened with a short survey, asking the kids various questions about fast food, watching television while eating, skipping breakfast, drinking regular soda, eating junk food, exercise routine, eating fruits and vegetables, and watching a lot of TV at night.

When it was over, there were only a handful of kids who seemed to be safe from diabetes.

Someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 20 seconds.

"There are 20 million people in the country who have it," Garnero said. "There are millions more waiting to get it."

Education on the dangers of obesity, remaining inert, and unhealthy diets can help inform kids that they are moving in the right direction.

Garnero, a National Educator of the Year honoree, has written and illustrated a comic book about the disease, and another book is scheduled to hit the stands in the fall. The latest work guides someone through the first year of living with diabetes, from the day of diagnosis.

Ellis put the group through an abbreviated session of the A's stretching program before taking batting practice.

"People may think we show up at 6:30 for a 7 o'clock game," Ellis said. "I usually get to the ballpark at 2:30 in the afternoon and start preparing to play."

Ellis told the group he "pretty much exercises every day of the year," even when he doesn't want to work out.

"A lot of days, I don't feel like exercising, but I make it part of my daily routine," he said. "There are things to do to exercise when you aren't even aware of it. Running out to your position, that's exercise. Striking out and walking back to the dugout, that's exercise."

He was asked how it felt to be a professional baseball player.

"Very cool," said Ellis. "It's a lot like when you're a little kid and there's not a care in the world."

His favorite food? "Steak, but I don't go overboard."

Does he eat fast food? "I'm guilty of that, but you can't survive on fast food."

Favorite spot other than baseball? "I love to golf, but I'm not very good at it. Basketball is the thing I like to do the most other than baseball."

Ellis raffled off 10 of his Bobbleheads, and Garnero gave away copies of her comic book. Ten-year-old Keenan Callahan, sporting a No. 14 A's T-shirt, won one of the comic books.

The kids autographed a green YMCA T-shirt and presented it to Ellis. Then there were group pictures.

For information regarding the disease, visit the Web site www.diabetes.org. For more information regarding Genaro's program and books, visit www.whhs.com.