Message From Our Executive Director
By Andrew P. Mandell – MR.DIABETES®
January, 2010
Welcome to 2010
2009 was a VERY tough year for most of us. The economy was the worst in living memory, politics have been divisive and nasty, unemployment has been at unprecedented levels, world conflicts continue to threaten us all at home and abroad, medical costs are going through the roof, and so much more… But, we’re still standing! Maybe a bit battered and bruised, but we WILL recover because we are a people of strength and resolve. We’ve been through tough times before and we’ve always bounced back. And so we will this time, too. Recall that old adage: “that which does not kill us will only make us stronger”. So………………..
Welcome to 2010. It’s a brand new year and we all get to start anew. It’s a fresh canvas onto which we can each set the tone that will determine the direction in which we will move. You, me, each of us, gets to paint our next year in both thoughts and deeds. Be careful in your thoughts and deliberate in your deeds; make your time here on earth mean something positive.
Here, at Defeat Diabetes Foundation (DDF), now in our 20th year, we are inviting you all to enter our tent to share yourselves and help make all our lives better. Whatever your interest(s), wherever you are or wherever you go, whoever you help, whenever you decide to lend a hand and however you decide to do it – if you carefully think about your contribution to society and deliberately move to effect that change, DDF is the home from which you can do it.
Think about it, if everyone lived as if they were a diabetic, you would see all kinds of sickness disappear and the result is better health for all. You see, the perfect diabetic lifestyle calls for the diabetic to have regular medical checkups (every 3 months), eat properly (5-9 servings of fruits & vegetables, whole grains and legumes, daily) and get proper exercise (always see your medical team before beginning ANY new regimen). Now, if everybody lived this way, diabetic or not, well, you can just imagine…………..
We have a number of volunteer programs which need your help. We need speakers, writers, book reviewers, fund raisers, event organizers, and more. Maybe you have a talent or interest that needs a place in which to develop it. Maybe you were active in a group/organization that didn’t survive the tragedy that was 2009 and find yourself a soldier without an army. Maybe you have an idea you feel will help your community but need help to get it launched. Our tent is a big one! You are welcome in our tent.
The reality of diabetes, the most insidious epidemic affecting Americans and the world:
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The leading cause of adult blindness – over 24,000 new cases each year.
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Over 110,000 amputations each year.
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A leading cause of kidney disease requiring kidney dialysis and cause of renal failure.
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2-4 times more likely to suffer a heart attack.
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4-6 times more likely to suffer a stroke.
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Contributes to dental problems, Alzheimer’s Disease, hearing loss.
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Life expectancy is shortened by 10-15 years.
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It kills over 215,000 people every year.
Currently, in the United States, there are 24 million diabetics – 1/3 don’t know they have it. Unless they are helped immediately they have been served a death sentence. Additionally, there are 57 million Americans who are “pre-diabetic”. These folks will develop diabetes in the next 10-15 years unless steps are taken immediately to prevent it. (90% of all these diabetics and “pre-diabetics” are Type 2.) The total financial cost in the U.S. for 2008 has been estimated at $225 billion! That cost will triple by the years 2025 – 2030. Diabetes, alone, has the potential to bankrupt our entire health care system. There is NO CURE. But there is PREVENTION! We know, absolutely, how to prevent diabetes 95% of all Type 2 diabetes cases from ever happening. So, help us to Defeat Diabetes®. Together we can win this war.
To learn more about DDF and our valuable programs:
www.DefeatDiabetes.orgI want to close this MESSAGE with my all-time favorite writing(s). I have this framed and hanging in my home. These are words that have inspired me and have changed my life. These are words I try to live by, or, I should say, “strive” to live by, and have since it was written in 1975 by Lloyd Shearer.
RESOLUTIONS
No one will ever get out of this world alive.
Resolve therefore to maintain a sense of values.
Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone’s major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is almost impossible.
Resolve to be cheerful & helpful. People will repay you in kind.
Avoid angry, abrasive persons. They are generally vengeful.
Avoid zealots. They are generally humorless.
Resolve to listen more & talk less. No one ever learns anything by talking.
Be chary of giving advice. Wise men don’t need it, & fools won’t heed it.
Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, & tolerant of the weak & the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.
Do not equate money with success. There are many successful money-makers who are miserable failures as human beings. What counts most about success is how one* achieves it.
Copyright: Lloyd Shearer 1975
*I took editorial license and changed to this word “one” instead of “man”. I would like to think this would meet with Lloyd Shearer’s approval.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!
Good Health.
Andrew P. Mandell – MR. DIABETES®
Executive Director
AWARENESS + ACTION = PREVENTION®
