The State of Diabetes

There was an article in the Boston Globe today that was written by Ranch Kimball, the president and chief executive of Boston-based Joslin Diabetes Center, about the chronic cost of chronic diseases. Ranch describes the overwhelming costs that diabetes has on our health care system as well as how greatly it affects this state.

"More than 6 percent of Massachusetts residents had diabetes in 2005"

"Three in five people with diabetes have at least one complication"

"one in three has two complications"

"one in 13 has five complications, which can range from heart attack and stroke to blindness and kidney failure."

"Fifty percent of people with Type 2 diabetes have complications by the time they are diagnosed with the disease."

"Diabetes costs the United States at least $132 billion a year - or one of every 10 healthcare dollars."

"Reducing chronic disease must be our next collective priority."

I hope this serves as a wake-up call for the general masses all the way up to the political candidates.

When Health Professionals Fail to Understand

Amy Tenderich just posted up a story by a woman in Germany who lost her job in a medical lab over her diabetes. What sucks is that despite working in a professional health environment, the employer failed to understand the effects that diabetes has.

You can find the whole story at DiabetesMine.com

As an individual, there's only so much we can do about the injustices in this world. I've come to realize that we can only be held accountable for doing what we are personally capable of. However, I do feel like I am responsible for taking the actions that are clear to me. This means sharing this story with those I can and making others aware of the situation.

Maybe one of these days it'll land in the hands of the right people. People who are in the right place and the right time to truly make a difference. Spread the word, bring hope to others.

6 Awesome Online Diabetes Resources

When I started this journey a few months ago, I literally had no knowledge of what diabetes was and what it meant to people who live with it. So after countless hours of searching, reading, and more searching, I've come to familiarize myself with the online diabetes community.

To my delight, I have come across a ton of online resources. However, it's really hard to focus with the overload of diabetes information and many voices to be heard. Some of you may have noticed that I've already posted links to them (along with my custom made buttons) on the right side of my blog.

To encourage my readers to actually visit these links, I've selected the best 6 online diabetes resources and wrote a short blurb on each of them.

Hope these help anyone who's seeking to find out more about diabetes:

1. dLife.com
One of the most comprehensive websites I've found on living with diabetes. dLife has a ton of articles and content created by some of the best diabetes writers on the web. They also created and host dLifeTV, a weekly program dedicated to diabetes that gets national airtime. But honestly, I think the best move by dLife thus far was the creation of one of the best diabetes blogs...

2. Blogabetes
Lively and frequently updated, dLife's Blogabetes is host to some of the best and opinionated bloggers in the diabetes community. With 12 writers all with different experiences living with diabetes, Blogabetes is a one-stop shop for the diabetes blog enthusiast.

3. TuDiabetes.com
Tu Diabetes was started by Manny Hernandez and now has 1083 members and counting! This has pretty much been the resident social network for anyone who lives with or has been affected by diabetes. With an active community and forum, TuDiabetes has become one of the best places to find community among others living with diabetes.

4. Diabetes Daily
You've probably already seen their 'diabetes headlines scanner' displayed on the side of my blog or many other blogs through the online diabetes community. Diabetes Daily provides bloggers a place to share their stories as well as be discovered by other bloggers and readers. Their website features a forum and an active chatroom that is filled with people always willing to talk about anything diabetes.

5. Children With Diabetes
The mecca of online resources for parents of children with diabetes. They host a few events each year throughout the U.S. Their online forum is also one of the best places for parents to share stories, support each other, and find out about new diabetes issues.

6. American Diabetes Association
"The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading 501(C)3 nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy." OK, I stole that from their about section... but it seriously is one awesome organization. Aside from having their own comprehensive resource of diabetes information, the ADA website has a section that posts up the latest diabetes news. With a section for everyone, the ADA is definitely worthy of this list.

Well I hope all of you have found this list to be somewhat helpful. I think I'll put together a list of some of my favorite blogs and why I think they are awesome. Let me know if there are other awesome online diabetes resources if you find them.

Chuck Norris Diabetes Rumble, LifeScan PR Stumble

Kerri at Six Until Me posted this a few days ago, but anyone who lives with or is affected by diabetes MUST read these 10 Things You Should Know About Chuck Norris... And Diabetes. First, I ALOLed when I read them. Then, I printed it out and stapled it outside my cubicle for all to see.

Amy at Diabetes Mine sent a haunting message to the corporate world with her response to J&J LifeScan's "so-called 'Public Service Announcement' (PSA) pitch to bloggers about its OneTouch UltraMini "Splash of Color" campaign." The community response is overwhelming and actually warranted a response from a LifeScan Rep. This totally reminds me of the "overt or disguised advertising" that Chrissie addressed in her blog.

Last Thursday, the American Diabetes Association urges congress to pass the ADA Restoration Act.

"Since the original legislation was enacted, a series of Supreme Court rulings have limited the criteria for who is covered by the law, resulting in many individuals with chronic diseases - including diabetes - no longer protected because they don't meet the stringent definition of disability. Their cases are dismissed by courts that never reach the issue of whether they were treated unfairly."

The ADA is also having their Step Out to Fight Diabetes walk in Boston this Saturday! Maybe I'll see some of you guys out there! And I might just post some pictures if I remember to take any! This will be my first diabetes event so I look forward to joining everyone.

Dynamic Diabetes Duos Save Appendages

Special Teams Fight Diabetic Amputations

"...many of the 80,000-plus amputations of toes, feet and lower legs that Americans diabetics undergo each year are preventable, say specialists who brought more than 900 health providers to a meeting last week to figure out how to do just that.

One recommendation: For hospitals to create diabetes limb-salvage teams."

Randy Jackson and the American Heart Association Promote Awareness about the Connection Between Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

"Through the campaign, Jackson shares more of his story about living with type 2 diabetes and provides information about how to successfully manage it. The campaign calls upon those who either have, or know someone who has, type 2 diabetes to share their tips and inspirational stories on the campaign's Web site, IKnowDiabetes.org."

It seems like a lot of celebrities are finally going public with their diabetes. It's definitely encouraging to see that people are using their blessings to speak up and help others not feel so alone.