In this day and age it seems that there is an awareness or celebration day every week but we always get to the 14th of November and for those who live with Diabetes, Type 1, 2, gestational or even 1.5 it is the day where we try to bring awareness to one of the largest growing conditions / diseases in the world.
People get confused with the messages around diabetes as it is very much generalized in the day to day discussions from the media. It is very true that the largest population of Diabetics are Type 2 and this is a condition that is either a problem with absorption of the insulin being produced or it is a deficiency in the production. So in other words not enough insulin is produced to cover the entire body needs. The reason Type 2 gets the majority of the coverage is because, in my opinion, it is the majority and it also has the ability to be reversed in some cases. So in other words there can be a greater amount of good news stories as they progress coverage.
Type 1, even though not the majority, is the disease that is not curable or reversible it is only manageable. With the proper devices and knowledge someone with Type 1 diabetes is now expected to live as long as a person without diabetes however what isn't mentioned in that statement is the mental strain that all Type 1 diabetics are under. Even though T1 is considered an invisible disease the underlying pressure on an individual can be even more invisible to people who don't have to deal with counting everything we eat, testing blood multiple times a day, measuring exercise, considering stress, managing sick days and just having the ability to understand what is happening within your body at any one time.
When first diagnosed nearly 27 years ago the only option was multi daily injections so I thank the day that devices such as the Medtronic 640G insulin pump were created as it is with these devices that allows our life to be full and long. While living in Australia I believe we are lucky even though there isn't clear understanding in the general public we still have awareness and access to everything that we require. In so many counties some people are not so lucky. With limited access, whether it be because of supply or cost, to insulin people in our world are still having severe complications or even death. This isn't to say that people, even here in Australia, are not still having these problems through problematic control but at least we have the choice here. People in 3rd world countries do not even have the choice to make sure the wasting disease (diabetes) doesn't take hold and destroy lives.
On this World Diabetes Day be aware that we can all help make a difference in the world because I believe in a world were it is possible to manage this disease and all people that are in need should have access to what is life saving products. Even if it is 1 vial of insulin, an old BG meter or even some BG strips then speak to "Insulin for life" to help change the T1D world. "Everyone deserves a chance"
