National Diabetes Awareness Month-November

October was Breast Cancer Awareness month on Lil' Bit This...Lil' Bit That. I shared the story of my new friend, Tisha, a 35 year old single mother fighting breast cancer. Please continue to check back for updates on Tisha and her fight against breast cancer. In the mean time, please continue promoting awareness of this deadly disease which takes millions of lives every year.

Beginning today, November 1st, my Lil' Bit This...Lil' Bit That...Blog will continue to raise awareness, but for a different life-threatening and deadly disease known as Diabetes. November is, National Diabetes Awareness Month. I could NOT let this go unnoticed as diabetes affects our family 365/24/7 x 2. That's right. Diabetes is an ongoing, without a break disease which TWO of our three children have been diagnosed with. Many, if not most, of my November posts will be dedicated to raising awareness, educating the uneducated, fund-raising, and honoring those close to me who are effected by diabetes. I think you will quickly understand my passion for promoting this disease and why it's so close to my heart.

DIABETES STATISTICS

1. There are two MAJOR types of diabetes; Type 1 & Type 2.
2. 7.8% of the 23.6 million people in the United States have diabetes.
3. More men (11.2%) then women (10.2%) are diagnosed with diabetes over the age of 20.
4. A total of 1.6 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people 20 years or older in 2007.
5. 186,300 CHILDREN, 19 and younger, have diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2.
6. The risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people without
7. Diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2006.
8. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20 to 74 years.
9. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
10. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates two to four times higher than adults without diabetes.
11. 60-70% of people with diabetes have mild-severe forms of nervous system damage.
12. More than 60% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.
13. Estimated diabetes costs in the U.S. in 2007 was $174 BILLION!

If you didn't take time to read the statistics above, at least glance back through the bold faced words....approximately 18 million people currently have diabetes with 1.6 million NEW cases being diagnosed in 2007 alone. Blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and nervous system damage are just a few complications of diabetes along with a shorter life expectancy. And if that weren't enough, yearly medical expenses of people with diabetes are 2.3 times higher than those without the disease.

Diabetes has become an EPIDEMIC, plain and simple! The CDC's (Center for Disease Control) official definition of an epidemic is: "The occurrence of more cases of disease than expected in a given area or among a specific group of people over a particular period of time." Webster defines an epidemic as, "extremely prevalent; widespread." The high and rapidly increasing prevalence of the disease demands this description. What is your thought on this? Please take my poll on the right and comment below with your thoughts.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: In the next 24 hours, 2,700 some people will be diagnosed with diabetes.