What Does “A Day in the Life of Diabetes” Mean to You?
During American Diabetes Month® this November, the American Diabetes Association will launch a socially-focused initiative, “A Day in the Life of Diabetes”, to demonstrate the increasing impact diabetes has on families and communities nationwide. Using imagery, social engagement and a larger-than-life stage, light will be shown on the issue of diabetes and those who live with it each and every day. Successfully managing diabetes can be a herculean task, making what might seem like an otherwise ordinary life rather extraordinary.
Starting now, we are asking the public to become part of the movement to Stop Diabetes® by sharing a personal image, via Facebook, and this newsletter, representing what “A Day in the Life of Diabetes” means to them. This image can be a picture of themselves or someone they care about and will show how the disease impacts their daily life. To encourage individuals to share photos of A Day in the Life of Diabetes on Facebook, CVS/pharmacy will donate $1 to the American Diabetes Association for every photo/image uploaded, up to $25,000.
Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050, and an additional 79 million Americans are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $174 billion. Further published studies suggest that when additional costs for gestational diabetes, prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes are included, the total diabetes-related costs in the U.S. could exceed $218 billion.
Diabetes is a serious disease. If it isn’t managed, it can damage many parts of the body, leading to heart attacks, strokes, amputation, blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage. But there is good news: diabetes complications can be prevented or delayed by properly managing blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Eating healthy, being physically active and quitting smoking also can help lower the risk of diabetes complications.
American Diabetes Month is sponsored by CVS/pharmacy’s ExtraCare Advantage® for Diabetes savings program exclusively for those living with diabetes and their caregivers. Visit CVS.com/diabetes to learn more.
For more information in English and Spanish call 1-800-DIABETES or visit stopdiabetes.com. Also, follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AmericanDiabetesAssociation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/AmDiabetesAssn).