By Sean Kelley My fellow diabetics, now is the time for us to come together. According to the news last week, there are 24 million diabetics in the United States. (I know, some six million of you don’t know you’re diabetic yet, but sooner or later you’re going to ask why you’re going to the bathroom six times a night.)We now represent a significant part of the American landscape. There are more diabetics than members of the NRA, PETA, and Daughters of the American Revolution combined!
I know, you think the American Diabetes Association is doing a fine job representing us. (I think they’re doing a fine job, too.) And there are places like dLife and Diabetic Connect where we already gather. But they’re just groups and websites. We could be a movement!
Think of it: the 24 Million Diabetic March. We could storm the capital and build a mountain of blood sugar strips on the White House lawn to make our numbers known. It’s possible—we have heft (for once I’m not talking about waistlines and BMI).
We could even make demands. This will take some discussion, but I think we should start by asking for access to better health care and sugar-free donuts that actually taste like Krispy Kreme.
But seriously, when a disease reaches critical mass—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 57 million Americans have prediabetes (a condition in which individuals have elevated blood glucose levels that are not high enough to be classified as diabetes…yet)—it demands attention all on its own. So, what exactly would we be fighting for? Read More
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