Diabetic Teaches Prevention Skills With U.S.A.
Trek
posted
03/26/03
57-year-old has walked more than
3,000 miles across the country to raise awareness about the disease he and
millions of other people have
It took Andy Mandell more than a year to walk from Florida to
California.
It was a long trip, he said, but worth every step.
Through rainstorms, blistering heat and occasional attacks by snakes and wild dogs, Mandell, 57, walked 3,076 miles -- through every single state bordering the country -- spreading awareness of diabetes prevention and detection.
Mandell spent a week on the Peninsula, walking along El Camino Real as part of his Wake Up and Walk Tour, sponsored by the Defeat Diabetes Foundation, which he helped create in 1990.
Mandell, also known as Mr. Diabetes, says he's not tired of walking. Through his cross-country tour, he's been able to meet thousands of people, handing out pamphlets that provide a diabetes screening test and discuss the warning signs of the disease.
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He occasionally stops in schools, which Mandell said is especially important because he teaches kids how to eliminate their chances of developing the disease. Mandell, a diabetic for more than 20 years, deliberately makes sure his glucose levels are high before he visits a school.
"I will (give) an insulin injection on myself," he said. "That gets a reaction because you get a visual of what happens."
The whole point, he said, is to get people thinking about the disease, which he said affects about 20 million Americans, half of whom haven't been diaganosed.
"This is really drawing attention to an epidemic," he said. "If we can get to them early, (the disease) is 75 percent preventable."
By tour's end, Mandell plans to walk more than 10,000 miles, ending his trip in the same town where he started the tour: Pensacola, Fla.
Bob Brooks, Mandell's tour manager, relies on word-of-mouth and paper maps to plan Mandell's route. Brooks travels about a half-mile behind Mandell in a white LandRover, emblazoned with the name of the tour and the foundation. The pair also have a makeshift home -- a 30-foot recreational vehicle.
Drawing attention to his cause isn't tough, Mandell said, because people typically see the bannered vehicle behind him, and they notice his yellow reflective vest and walking pole. They stop to talk, learn of his mission and walk away with information that could save their lives, he said.
"We're going to keep making noise and more noise," said Mandell, a Boston native. "I'm tired of being a pin cushion. I don't believe the powers that be will come up with a cure."
That's why his focus, he said, is on nutritional and physical well-being to curb the disease before it starts. By eating right and exercising, the threat of diabetes is reduced, he said, though he stressed that other risk factors, like genetics, race and birth weight, also contribute to the onset of the disease.
Mandell, who stands 6 foot 4 inches and weighs 260 pounds, said he chose a walking tour because it is a simple activity that anyone can partake in. Plus, as a "senior citizen insulin diabetic," Mandell said he is breaking myths about what a diabetic looks like.
Though he said he will probably not go on another tour following the conclusion of this one, he said he will definitely find other means to promote awareness.
Brooks agrees: "We're doing something for a great cause and for a great reason. What a better way to see the country?"
More information about the Defeat Diabetes Foundation is available at www.DefeatDiabetes.org
Source: The Argus.
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