I was curious how many people believe that Diabetes Awareness month (November) gets the attention that it truely needs.......
Thankfully, breast cancer awareness has gone main stream to where even professional footballers and etc. have pink incorporated into their uniform or gear. I think it is fantastic that there are months that pay recognition to specific diseases or cancers in efforts of finding prevention or even a cure. My concern is that I do not believe that Type 1 Diabetes is getting this severity of recognition in the mainstream.
start local and it will naturally grow bigger. get more diabetic superstars to speak up. become a superstar yourself in advocating for the rest of us. you have my support!
I think your right. I just saw on the news the other day that about 8% of America's population is diabetic. Here's the problem (as we oftan talk about on this site) 90% of that number are Type 2 diabetics. I don't want to say that it's a less serious disease, but it is for a lot of people. I think having young, "healthy" people talk about having diabetes is key- because I think most people that know something about diabetes think people get it from being old and fat.
I think given the choice I would rather have the really annoying conflation of Type I and II - and still have awareness out there - because ultimately if would hopefully encourage people to push for a cure, than have ignorance about the disease all together.
I think the bracelets are gray for diabetes awareness. I don't think there's a separate one for Type I.
Maybe engaging our communities about healthy eating/carb-couting would help get awareness out there about Type I incidentially, while helping a lot more people be healthier (and maybe prevent some cases of Type II).
the fact that last year i actually noticed the news report on the 6pm news about it being world diabetes day, and coverage of various events that happened in ontario and bc...doing pretty well for me! i was unaware of world diabetes day until like..september of 2008!
I'm not sure what we can do about it, but I have to admit that I was not aware of Diabetes Awareness month or World Diabetes Day until I started reading on Juvenation after my son was diagnosed almost six months ago.
I was just talking about this with a couple of my friends on Friday. We were going to the OSU volleyball game and it was "Spike Out Bre*st Cancer" night- $1 admission, and wear pink. I was saying that I didnt think diabetes awareness month got enought attention, and I didn't even know that we had our own month until a couple of years ago. I think it should get more attention.
my gidance councelor is letting me hand signs around my high school about national diabetes month and hopefully people will notice and i get to sell bracelets, for awareness. and i think cancer is WAY to publicized Diabetes is a disease too :P we deserve our 15 minuets of fame
where i work we're doing a big event for diabetes awareness--lead by a class taught by me :o) however, it includes all forms of diabetes. not just t1. actually, it will probably have very little focus on t1 since there aren't as many people who need education on it. i'm excited. my first class in the ames area. i've done a zillion in des moines.
I was just talking about this the other day too! Every NFL game they've been wearing their pink ribbons and pink shoes. Why don't they wear some grey ribbons for us! I'm going to the JDRF forum in Maryland this Saturday, maybe I can see what other people there think about it.