Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes

Hey everyone! I usually don't get very involved (or at all involved) with fundraising, but in this case, I think it may just be worth the fear I have of asking for money or support! The company I work for in fact, only asks for donations for one event - and it's this one. Each year our funds raised increase, and this year we're joining with ABC to create one big team. I don't really want to talk about our fundraising goals, or how much we've raised in the past, or even to really ask for money or anything. I hate that kind of pressure! But I wanted to post this anyway, because it's something I will be involved with for the next 3 or so months, and I'd like to make you all acquainted with what we're doing and why. So here goes...

First, a few facts about diabetes, its complications and its prevalence:

• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years.
• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases in 2005.
• More than 60% of non traumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.
• People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other illnesses. Once they acquire these illnesses, they often have worse prognoses. For example, they are more likely to die with pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes.
• About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage. The results of such damage include impaired sensation or pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion of food in the stomach, carpal tunnel syndrome, erectile dysfunction, or other nerve problems.
• In 2005, a total of 178,689 people with end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes were living on chronic dialysis or with a kidney transplant in the United States and Puerto Rico.
• Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people without diabetes of similar age.
• Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2006.
• Age 20 years or older: 23.5 million or 10.7% of all people in this age group have diabetes.
• Age 60 years or older: 12.2 million or 23.1% of all people in this age group have diabetes.
• Men: 12.0 million or 11.2% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
• Women: 11.5 million or 10.2% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
• Non-Hispanic whites: 14.9 million, or 9.8% of all non-Hispanic whites aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
• Non-Hispanic blacks: 3.7 million, or 14.7% of all non-Hispanic blacks aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
• 10 to 30% of people with diabetes also have depression.
• 1 in 3 children in the United States faces a future with diabetes.

*data source: http://www.cdc.gov/ and http://www.diabetes.org/


Aside from these statistics, I have had countless experiences in my years of work which have brought these facts and figures to life for me. I have met people who represent every one of these statistics. I knew of a very young woman who left church early because she was tired, only to be found later by her husband after she had passed away from extremely low blood sugar. I have known many men and women, who despite love and commitment, find their relationships struggling due to diabetes-related erectile dysfunction that doesn't respond to typical treatments and medications - and I've seen the shame and fear that they feel when they finally get up the courage to look for help. I've seen young mothers and fathers, whose month's-old baby or two or three year old child is diagnosed with diabetes - all of a sudden the entire family sees before them a lifetime of dealing with a chronic and potentially fatal disease. I have seen teenagers who, more than anything, want to fit in, but can't because the active management of their disease often stands out. Those teenagers struggle back and forth - knowing that they have this disease and yet wanting so much for it not to be true. Often they will refuse to take care of themselves out of pure denial and fear. On the other hand I see their parents - who are willing to do almost anything to help and support their children in these unique struggles, and yet can't run their lives for them - knowing that their child will deal with diabetes for the rest of his or her life and has to learn how to control it before they are on their own. I've had little old men and women cry as they sit down in front of me - having just been diagnosed and not knowing what to do or how they will do it. I briefly knew a man who had had both of his feet amputated due to diabetes-related complications. I believe he later died, although he could have only been 50 or 55 at the time. Yet another man - almost completely blind in both eyes and in need of a heart transplant - died not more than 3 or 4 years after his transplant took place.

I don't write all of this to inspire depression or anything like that, but the cold hard fact is that diabetes is an epidemic - vastly more prevalent and life-threatening than any other epidemic on earth. The human side to that cold hard fact is that each of the humans who suffer from diabetes could, either now or at some later time, relate to at least one of the situations I have listed.

Now, I want to say a little bit about what the funds that are raised by the American Diabetes Association are used for:

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Lastly, I want to give you a few details on the Walk and what our team will be doing this year to help raise funds.

STEP OUT: WALK TO FIGHT DIABETES

• The Walk takes place at This is the Place Heritage Park and Hogle Zoo.
• The date is Saturday, September 26 2009.
• Varying distances are offered, with the longest being 6 miles and the shortest being 2.5 miles. There may be shorter distances offered for those with small children or those who can't make the distance.
• The Walk begins in This is the Place Heritage Park at either 8 or 9 (exact time not yet announced) with breakfast and ends at Hogle Zoo, where you receive free entry and lunch, after which you can either stay at the Zoo for the day or leave.
• Participation is free. All you need to do is register each walker. (You can join my team if you want to! You'd even get a free T-shirt!)

DSC'S FUNDRAISING PLANS

• Advocacy and promotion in the community and especially in our store.
• A big ol' company yard sale - to take place on Saturday, August 8 at the house next to our store, which is at 3793 S State Street. If you have something you'd like to donate for us to sell, let me know - apparently we can even pick big stuff up if necessary!
• Hot dog wagons in various locations.
• Personal fundraising.

Okay - so I think we may have come to the end of this very long post. I still don't want to pester anyone for donations or help, but I certainly wouldn't MIND it if you chose to get involved! See the link on my side-bar to visit my personal page, where you can donate or join my team.