If you haven’t yet noticed, it’s November. Which for many of you, thoughts of Thanksgiving and Charlie Brown cross your mind. However, this is also World Diabetes Awareness Month. November 14 is World Diabetes Day. No, we don’t have a huge movement behind us. The NFL does not wear pink and go bananas to raise awareness. No, diabetes is not life threatening when treated.
Diabetes is a personal disease. It is a daily battle. It’s about waking up at 3am to check your blood sugar (or having your parents do it for you). It’s about giving yourself shots or infusions sets. It’s about counting carbohydrates and compensating with insulin every single time you eat. And that’s only a fraction of what is involved when it comes to living a life with type one diabetes.
However, out of all people who live with diabetes, only five percent of them have type one diabetes (American Diabetes Association). Here’s some food for thought:
Almost 30 million people in the United States live with diabetes (American Diabetes Association).
In 2010, diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in the United States.
The total costs of diagnosed diabetes in the US in 2012 was an average of $245 billion.
In 2008—2009, the annual incidence of diagnosed diabetes in youth was estimated at 18,436 with type 1 diabetes.
Usually, I’ve been too busy to acknowledge that World Diabetes Awareness Month is even happening. Diabetes deserves to have recognition. I hope you learned a little something and will share the message: diabetes is not a faceless disease.
Sincerely,
Claire Montgomery
All facts and statistics come from the American Diabetes Association.