Diabetes Awareness

The term "awareness" is constantly associated with fundraising efforts for charities that address certain health issues or societal problems. Sometimes it is linked to seasons, or days, or months even. For instance, October, if I am not mistaken, is known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In a few days, I will attempt the fourth edition of the Chicot Challenge in part for diabetes awareness. What do I mean by "awareness?" Aren't people already aware of diabetes? Is there anyone who has not heard of this disease?

The simple answer to the questions just posed are "yes" people know that this condition exists and "no" there is no one above the age of six who has not heard of diabetes. But unfortunately things are really not that simple. In the following few paragraphs, I propose to set forth what I mean by diabetes awareness and ask you for your input on the topic.

First, I think we should all be aware that Type 2 Diabetes is becoming a worldwide epidemic. Unlike other diseases, however, this one is not contagious. We do not "catch" diabetes like we do the flu or a common cold. We develop diabetes and it seems that contemporary humans are becoming more adapt at developing this one. Some health care officials say diabetes is not a disease at all but a metabolic condition that happens to us because of a number of environmental factors and some non-environmental ones. But more on that later. 

Second, we all are at risk. Not a one of us can assume he or she will never become a diabetic. In fact, the prognosis is that a full third of the people born in America from the year 2000 and on will become diabetic. The implications for our nation and for our quality of life are enormous if that prediction comes to pass. In my opinion, diabetes is the biggest national security threat our nation faces, bigger than ISIS, more menacing than North Korea.

Diabetes, Type 2, is normally looked at as an inconvenience, as a small irritant where the doctor tells you to watch what you eat because your blood sugar is a bit high. I have lived long enough to say without qualification that far too often Type 2 diabetics don't take care of themselves. "Just a little sugar" is what some people call it, but believe you me, there is nothing sweet about this disease. Here is irony in its worst form, because we can't live without blood glucose so how could it being just a little high be a big deal? It is a big deal. The sugar molecule is sharp, like broken pieces of glass, and when there is too much of it in the bloodstream, like a crowded hallway some of it is forced against the walls of the vessels creating damage. This damage is particularly more pronounced and particularly more problematic in the tiny capillaries that feed all the organs of the body. This is just ONE way that diabetes slowly damages all the organs of the human machine. The diabetic rarely feels bad, but little by little, like termites, the health is being eaten away. By the time the diabetic realizes how bad "a little sugar is," it is too late. People need to be aware of diabetes devastating effects on the human body.

There is good news, however. According to the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, 90% of Type 2 Diabetes is preventable. We need to be aware of this. If we are not diabetic and we start taking action now, the odds are in our favor that we can avoid the sinister health issue. What to do? Exercise plays a huge role in our health not only in preventing diabetes but other bad things as well such as high blood pressure and heart disease. And you don't have to be a fanatic about it like me and swim for miles and miles. A brisk walk five times per week can have a major impact on how we feel and how our body resists diseases. A good diet is another step in prevention as is losing a little weight. 

Finally, by awareness I mean knowledge. What are the risk factor for developing diabetes? How does it impact health? (I only touched on this a little) What are the proper ways to care for oneself if one does become a diabetic. We should all educate ourselves on these subtopics. If you are diagnosed as a Type 2 Diabetic, your physician will spend three or four minutes talking to you and hand you a couple of pamphlets. then you are on your own. Unless you go into nursing, you will not study diabetes in school. Until I took it upon myself to learn on my own,  I knew next to nothing on this subject. How to learn without a teacher you ask. Read everything you run across on the subject. When an article appears in the newspaper or a magazine, read it. When a link to one is posted on Facebook, read it. Go to the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi's website and began reading. Check out WebMD. 

I created a little acronym for diabetes awareness: GADCE. Diabetes is a Growing problem, All of us are at risk, the disease is Devastating in its impact on our health, but we Can do something about it, and we must Educate ourselves on this and all health issues. 

What are your ideas on the topic? How much do you know about diabetes? What can we do to raise awareness of this and other health problems? Do you have any advice on how I can make the Chicot Challenge more effective as a fundraiser and as an awareness raiser?