“I kept thinking ‘I ought to lose weight,’” he shared.

Returning home from a baseball game one day, PJ experienced tingling in his hands and feet. “I thought that was odd. So the next day, I checked my blood glucose and my jaw dropped because it was so high. I checked the next day in disbelief, and it was still elevated.”

“Right then and there, I thought ‘My toes at 60. There is NO WAY I was going to lose my toes at 60.’”

Once PJ was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the tight belt became the focus of his attention. “I sucked it up, started to exercise and eat right and lost 30 pounds over 4 months. My glucose dropped and has remained low for 5 years. I even had to put a new hole in my belt!”

“Now I watch my diet and exercise 4 days a week. Keeping my 30 pounds off is challenging. I hate it, but it works! I do it for my toes. I do it for my brain, heart, kidneys, eyes and ultimately, my family. I thank God for the kick in the butt to check my blood glucose that day.”

Developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be a challenge any time of the year, but especially during the holidays. During American Diabetes Month® this November, join the movement to Stop Diabetes® and download your very own Celebrations Survival Guide. Get tips to handle the holidays and avoid tight belts this holiday season.

Thank you.

-ADMIN

Susie wants to go to school like every other kid, but the school nurse keeps sending her home. The nurse is only employed part-time at the school, and if the nurse can’t be there to help, no one can.

This is wrong! And we need your voice and your support to help keep kids like Susie safe at school.

Susie is not alone — she’s one of the many children with diabetes across the country who has faced discrimination at school.

The California Court of Appeal recently ruled that school employees who are not nurses are prohibited from volunteering to help children with diabetes by administering needed insulin. That’s right, school staff members who want to help a child in need are being told “no.”

But diabetes can’t wait, and with 1 nurse for every 2,700 California students, the reality is that no one will be there to help a child in need.

Diabetes health care professionals agree that trained non-medical school personnel can — and should — administer insulin when a school nurse is not around. The idea that it takes a nurse to administer insulin is ridiculous to those who live with diabetes.

Just think about the thousands of doses of insulin administered by people without medical degrees in just the time it takes to read this message.

The American Diabetes Association is angry with this ruling — and we’re asking your support to help us fight back. We are angry because we know that it means children with diabetes won’t be safe at school. Some children will become ill; some will go on dangerous treatment plans so they don’t need to take insulin as often. Some parents will lose their jobs to protect their kids.

Many kids are getting the care they need because the American Diabetes Association has successfully fought to make sure that school personnel are able to help a child in need. But in states like California, the fight for our kids continues.

Won’t you join us as we fight this injustice for the sake of our children? We are asking the California Supreme Court to overturn this ruling and we need your help to do so. Your support is also needed to help us continue our Safe at School campaign across the country. Through education, negotiation, litigation, and legislation, the Campaign has helped thousands of families of children with diabetes overcome barriers at school.

Together, we will ensure school is a safe — and a fair — place for every child with diabetes.

With heartfelt thanks,

Larry Hausner
Chief Executive Officer
American Diabetes Association

That increase in coverage gives us a huge opportunity to make the case for diabetes funding where lawmakers are sure to be paying attention – their local editorial page.

To take the pulse of their district and to find out what matters the most to their constituents, your senators and representatives are looking at their local newspapers. They want to know what’s on the minds of the people in their area, especially as they approach election season.

This week and next, diabetes research is going to be in the news – make sure you seize this opportunity to make the case for diabetes funding in your local paper.

Be on the lookout for stories about diabetes in your local paper – then send a letter to the editor in response pushing for diabetes funding through the Special Diabetes Program. It won’t take long but it will have a big impact.

With our online tool it’s easy to send a letter to your local paper, and your personal story will give elected officials a compelling reason to bring funding for diabetes research and prevention into the Congressional spotlight. We even have simple talking points you can use.

We’ll also send a free Diabetes Advocate t-shirt to the first 20 people who send us their published articles!

With diabetes in the news, we have a key opportunity to speak out and let policymakers and community members know how important diabetes research is to Americans all over the country.

Check your local paper for articles about diabetes then send in your letter to the editor.

Thank you for all you’re doing to get Congress to support funding for diabetes research and prevention.

Sincerely,

Nash Childs, PE

Chair of the Board
American Diabetes Association

Please help us keep the momentum going by asking the House to vote for HB 747 which will…

• prohibit school districts from assigning students with diabetes to a particular school because of their diabetes, because the school does not have a full-time school nurse, or because the school does not have trained diabetes personnel.  This means students wouldn’t be transferred to another school outside their neighborhood schools simply because they have diabetes.

• ensure that students with diabetes who are capable of self-management are able to do just that. This means students won’t miss valuable class time going to the nurse’s or principal’s office to test their blood glucose levels when they could test in the classroom.

Please send a letter asking the House to vote in favor of House Bill 747.

Randi Greene-Chapman, JD
Southeast Advocacy Director
American Diabetes Association

To stop this trend in its tracks, we need to get serious about reducing childhood obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles in our children.

Legislation in the U.S. Senate would take the critical steps of investing in school nutrition programs, improving the nutritional value of school meals and keeping junk food out of schools.

Ask your senators to address childhood obesity and the growing diabetes crisis it’s causing by supporting the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act would make a strong investment in our school nutrition programs, including increasing the federal reimbursement for the school lunch program. The added funding will provide local school districts with resources toimprove the quality and nutritional value of meals served to students. The bill will also require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to strengthen nutrition standards for foods sold in vending machines, a la carte lines and school stores so they are based on current nutrition science – that means removing sugary beverages and high-calorie snacks from schools.

Your senators have only two days to sign on to a key letter of support for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act so send them an email today!

Childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in our country and, in turn, creating a diabetes crisis.

Thank you for all you’re doing to let your Senators know this is a crisis we can’t afford to ignore.

- American Diabetes Association