November is Diabetes Awareness Month. With nearly 26 million children and adults in America living with diabetes, and another 79 million at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, the disease is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country. Yet, most Americans don’t consider diabetes a serious matter. They feel it is someone else’s responsibility; someone else’s problem.
Recent numbers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paint a desperate situation of where we are at, and where we are headed:
• Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes.
• Diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
• Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.
Now is the time to act.
Become Involved in American Diabetes Month® 2011
November is American Diabetes Month, a time to rally individuals, communities and families to Join the MillionsSM in the movement to Stop Diabetes®. This year, the American Diabetes Association is asking individuals to take a pledge and raise their hand to Stop Diabetes.
Here are other ways you can become involved:
1. Attend Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes on November 5, 2011 at JC Bermudez Park and walk with your community to raise awareness. Registration: 8am/walk begins: 9am www.diabetes. org/stepoutmiami
2. Attend Feria De Salud Por Tu Familia on November 13, 2011 from 10am – 3pm at Magic City Casino. Free health screenings and diabetes education for the whole family! www.diabetes.org/miamiferia
3. Visit www.diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES
By managing the ABCs of diabetes, people with diabetes can reduce their risk of complications. Know your ABC’s
A stands for A1C (a measure of average blood glucose) B stands for Blood pressure C stands for Cholesterol
