Diabetes
Can you imagine having to have to stick your finger, place a drop of your blood on a device that will tell you your blood glucose level before you eat a meal. Then you will need to calculate how many carbohydrates you plan to eat and give your self a shot of insulin to process that food because your pancreas does not work. This would be hard enough, but if you are only a child it can be over whelming. Children with type one diabetes do this every day or they can end up in the hospital or die. Oh, and there are no vacation days.
My wife and I have been raising money every year for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation since 1996. This organization was formed by parents of diabetic children in 1970. Parents supporting the JDRF are hoping that through research diabetes can be cured and they are determined that it will happen in their child's lifetime. I practiced dentistry treating diabetics for 15 years and fortunately quickly diagnosed my own son with Type one diabetes at age 12.
I hope that every one has a charity that they donate to. If you do not, take closer look at The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. JDRF sends donations to fund research it believes has the best chance for curing diabetes. Each year my family raises money and walks for the cure in the Fall. For more information go to www.jdrf.org or call our office at 619-596-0144.
If you know a child that has a combination of the following symptions they should be evaluated by a health care provider: thirsty all the time, hungry all the time, goes to bath room frequently, frequent headaches, irritable or dizziness.
- 16 million Americans suffer from Type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
- Diabetes and its complications are a leading cause of death in America. 170,000 annually
- 50,000 people have amputations caused by diabetes each year.
- High blood pressure affects 60 to 65% of people with diabetes.
- One third of all dialysis patients have diabetes-caused kidney failure.
- Blindness affects 24,000 diabetic patients every year.
- Neuropathy affects 90 % of people with long term diabetes.
- Heart disease and stroke is present 2 to 4 times more frequent in diabetics.
- The total cost of treating diabetics and their complcations is $92 billion annually.