Life is not over because you have diabetes. Make the most of what you have, be grateful.
— Dale Evans
If you have been living with diabetes for years or were recently diagnosed, remember:
1) Diabetes, both Type I and Type II, is a manageable condition.
2) With proper treatment and lifestyle changes, you can prevent or delay the onset of complications.
Management & Support
According to the 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report, over 29 million Americans are living with diabetes. Of that number, more than one in four – 8.1 million people – have not been diagnosed.
In other words, just being aware of this condition puts you ahead of millions of others. The right information and resources, combined with the proper treatment, will help to make your diagnosis even more manageable.
Groups like the American Diabetes Association can connect you with facts about diabetes, support in your community, and the latest research on treatment. The ADA’s free Living with Type 2 Diabetes Program is an excellent resource for healthy living, medication and appointment reminders, and motivational tips.
Treatment & Lifestyle
Diabetes is not like a cancer, where you go in for chemo and radiation. You can change a lot through a basic changing of habits.
— Sherri Shepard
A diabetes diagnosis is a wake-up call, not a punishment or a death sentence. Your routines and lifestyle will need to change to control this condition.
Groups like the ADA and Champions For Change can help with specifics like healthy eating and active living. The first and most important change you’ll need to make, however, is in your own mind.
The first step toward living with diabetes will always be a choice, not a physical action. Choosing to face your diagnosis honestly. Choosing to create new habits, build a new lifestyle and become active in the fight against this disease. Choosing a long, healthy and full life.
Everything after that is just details.
We can arrange better expectations and better circumstances, beginning with the fact that we need not be who we are now; we can be better.
— Charles C. Harpe