Over 16 Million Americans have diabetes, but 5.4 Million remain undiagnosed. Diabetes Awareness Month, which is November, was created as an effort to educate the public about this disease and to inform those with diabetes about the resources available to them.

There are two major types of diabetes: Type I, commonly called juvenile diabetes, and Type II, commonly called adult on-set diabetes. Both have similar symptoms but very different causes. Type I diabetes, usually diagnosed in childhood, is a disease whereby the body's own immune system attacks and kills the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin, leaving a person's body without insulin, and unable to regulate its blood sugar levels.

Type II diabetes is a disease that results when the body's cells become resistant to insulin. In Type II diabetes, unlike in Type I, insulin is still produced by the body; it just isn't used correctly. Both diseases result in abnormally high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), which can cause kidney, eye, heart, blood vessel, and other diseases.

Symptoms of diabetes include lethargy, extreme thirst and urination, extreme hunger accompanied by rapid loss of weight, and blurry vision. These are all results of the body's inability to transport sugar (energy) from the bloodstream to the body cells. While it was previously assumed that having diabetes was a clear-cut ticket to further disease and complications, it has been shown that good control (keeping blood sugars within recommended levels) through combinations of insulin therapy, diet, exercise, and other medications can help delay the onset of complications.

Diabetes is a very serious disease that is so often times overlooked. If you have a family history of Diabetes or any of the warning signs stated above, please go and have your blood sugar checked out. I ignored all the signs my body was telling me and almost died as a result. When I was admitted into the hospital semi-conscious  the doctors told my family that I was so ill that they might lose me as a result. It will be three years this month, November that I was diagnosed. I have my good and my bad times with this disease but at least I am here and alive. I thank God every day of my life for giving my a second chance to feel the Earth under my bare feet and the wind playing in my hair. If not for the love and Grace of my Lord I would not be here to write these Poems and Reflections.....Sincerely, Island Princess



For information on diabetes contact:
National Organizations

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
American Diabetes Association
Joslin Diabetes Center

My Personal Diabetes Pages

My Diabetes
The Princess In Soul Food Land