It has been exactly 20 years today since my grandmother passed away. My grandmother was a fierce, intelligent woman who held our family together.
I was a teenager when my grandma’s health declined. She had congestive heart failure, diabetes, and was legally blind. As a teen, I did not understand the extent of her health problems nor how they related.
Now that I’m living with the same diabetes diagnosis, I understand what my grandma was going through, how diabetes and heart disease are linked and how those issues can potentially limit your life.
It’s my mission to share what I’ve learned with people with diabetes and their loved ones. There is a family history of diabetes on both sides, and I just want to do my part in changing the narrative.
On this day of remembrance, I want to encourage you to keep your health in check: learn more about your condition, maintain a healthy diabetes management routine, and if you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. Don’t let diabetes limit your life.
World Diabetes Day 2021 theme from the International Diabetes Federation
The availability of insulin and other elements of diabetes care remains out of reach for millions who need them. People with diabetes are at risk of severe and life-threatening complications, especially if they do not receive adequate support or treatment. Complications include:
What can be done to improve access to diabetes care worldwide? It all starts with our lawmakers. We need to keep our state and federal lawmakers accountable in ensuring that our healthcare system:
🔹Provide basic health care at a reasonable cost to people with diabetes
🔹Develop policies to improve prevention of type 2 diabetes
🔹Enhance screening to ensure timely diagnosis and prevent complications resulting from diabetes
🔹Develop mechanisms to engage people with diabetes in the development of diabetes policies
As we’re voting for newly elected officials today, make sure the candidate you’re voting for is willing to support health equity for all.
After I was diagnosed with diabetes back in 2019, I became concerned about my children’s risk of developing the disease. On two of my previous three pregnancies, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Having gestational diabetes is not only a risk factor for diabetes in women, but it is also a potential risk factor for your children.
In addition to family history and diabetes, there are other factors to consider, such as pre-existing health conditions and environmental factors. However, there is still a possibility for type 2 diabetes to be diagnosed in your children later on in life.
As parents and guardians, we must do our part to prevent type 2 diabetes in our children. As a family, we may need to start incorporating ways to get healthier together.
Some ideas include:
Meal planning together
Grocery trips as a family
Family walks
Family workout days
Making family meetings, one-on-one times, etc., where everyone can talk and help solve problems, encourage healthy stress management.
Family health legacy is one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce our family’s risk of diabetes. Establish ways to become healthier as a family. We must act in the interests of our children and their future.
People with diabetes can benefit greatly from daily exercise.
These are just a few benefits:
Maintains a healthy body weight
Reduces the risk of heart disease
Improves blood glucose management and blood flow
Improves mood overall
Boosts sleep quality
Improves your ability to cope with depression, anxiety, and stress
To ensure you are exercising safely, speak with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine so they can help you choose appropriate activities and set blood glucose targets.
Sound Off: How do you exercise? Do you have a routine that works for you? Do you face any obstacles to exercising? Comment below to share your experience.
I can no longer watch my family making unhealthy choices
If anyone wants to know why I do what I do, here’s one of those reasons: to be able to see this sweet face everyday.
I want to show him and his siblings the right way to take care of the temple that God gave to them. I want to show them that this diagnosis is not the end of the world, and that we have the power to change the narrative.
Observing their current eating habits solidified that the fact something has got to change. With a family history of diabetes and heart issues on all sides of their families, there’s no reason why my family should not start changing their current lifestyle.
In a couple of weeks, I will be sharing what my husband and I are planning create a new health legacy for our family. Follow my blog to stay updated!
I’m excited to announce that illustrations for my first published book, My Diabetic Mama are completed and the images are absolutely gorgeous!
The next steps are editing and proofreading. That process should take no more than a few weeks. In the meantime, we will start our official webpage for our book as well as some pre-ordering information. My plan is to debut the book later this summer.
My Diabetic Mama is a children’s book featuring 8-year-old Mac, whose mom has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, along with his family, that supports his newly diagnosed mom adjust to new lifestyle changes. This book is recommended for elementary school students in grades 2-5. This book will cover a basic definition of diabetes, the two major types of diabetes (type 1 and 2) and general symptoms of high and low blood sugar levels.
For more updates, follow my blog or my social media pages:
We all know at least one person with a chronic condition.
Why do we have a Chronic Disease Awareness month?
Don’t we already observe awareness months for certain illnesses already?
Yes, it’s true that we do observe some months for individual illnesses; however, chronic conditions have been increasing exponentially in all Americans for several years.
Chronic illness is defined as health conditions that last one year or more and requires ongoing medical attention and/or limit activities of daily living.
Currently, there are a total of 20 chronic conditions. The 10 chronic conditions that are considered as chronic illnesses include:
Unfortunately, chronic conditions account for 7 of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States.
According to a 2018 peer-reviewed research study from Preventing Chronic Disease, 129 million adult Americans (51.8 %) had a chronic condition. Sixty-one million (24.6%) adults had one chronic condition.
Sixty-eight million adults (27.2 %) had two chronic or more conditions. The chances of being diagnosed with two or more chronic conditions were higher among women, non-Hispanic white adults, older adults, adults aged 18–64 on Medicaid, dual-eligible adults (Medicare and Medicaid), and adults in rural areas.
More likely, we know a family member, friend or coworker battling a chronic condition. Many who are diagnosed with chronic illnesses suffer from lack of attention, proper medical care and resources.
This is the reason why organizations like the Chronic Disease Coalition and Good Days are dedicating this month to raise awareness of the impact of chronic disease in this country and to encourage others to advocate for access to quality care, treatment and resources for those with chronic illnesses.
The Chronic Disease Coalition, where I serve as an ambassador, has always advocated and raised awareness on behalf of the chronic illness community. Therefore, every month is Chronic Disease Awareness! However, in July, we specifically amplify patient voices while continuing to advocate for patient rights. The organization has planned amazing opportunities to get people engaged in advocacy efforts, including access to their special Chronic Disease month toolkit, live interviews and a Chronic University event about policy advocacy.
The Good Days Organization has dedicated July 10th as Chronic Disease Awareness Day. There are opportunities for people to participate in social media campaigning, a healthy recipe contest, opportunities for your hometown to recognize Chronic Disease Day and a separate live-stream event on July 13th.
Chronic illness rates are steadily increasing, but remember, we have the power to change the narrative. Consider taking part in the movements mentioned or consider starting your own local effort. This chronic illness journey is not meant for us to fight alone. There is strength in unity.
After quietly working on this exciting project for almost a month, I am pleased to announce that I am writing my first children’s book and the book will be based on being a part of a diabetic household.
My Diabetic Mama is a children’s book featuring 8-year-old Mac, whose mom has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, along with his family, that supports his newly diagnosed mom adjust to new lifestyle changes. This book is recommended for elementary school students in grades 2-5. This book will cover a basic definition of diabetes, the two major types of diabetes (type 1 and 2) and general symptoms of high and low blood sugar levels.
We are approaching the final stages of the book, leaving proofreading and final illustrations for the last few pages. The book’s release date will be scheduled for August. Stay tuned to this blog and social media pages for updates on the release and pre-release sales!
