World Diabetes Day

Today is World Diabetes Day.

It's also my birthday.

So, for my birthday, here's what I want:
If you don't know anything about diabetes, find out about it. Really find out about it. Don't just ask your great aunt Nelly who lost a leg to diabetes. Check out the American Diabetes Association or dLife for information on type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Check out the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or Children With Diabetes to find out the vast, VAST difference between the two diseases. Because, seriously, people, there's a big, big difference and people with type 1 get a little peeved at being told they can cure their diabetes by going on Atkins or by losing weight or that they must have brought it on themselves with a poor diet. And people with type 2 are sick of the guilt and blame and shame thrown out there by the media and general public.

Every 10 seconds, someone dies from diabetes. Every. Ten. Seconds.

This is a serious disease, with serious complications. It requires meticulous attention just to maintain a relatively normal life. It is expensive - one test strip costs one dollar. My daughter tests 10 - 12 times a day. That's $70 - $84 a week, just for strips. Add in insulin and pump supplies and you are talking about $600 per month for supplies. Thankfully, we have health insurance that covers much of those costs, but what about the millions of people in the US who have no insurance? What about those in other countries who lack even basic supplies like meters and syringes to administer insulin?

Learn about the disease. Learn the symptoms, learn the differences between the two, educate yourself so that if this disease ever enters your life, you'll know what to do.


That's all I want for my birthday.