Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott Strumello on May 16, 2007 at 3:47pm

We really need a high-profile individual to be diagnosed with diabetes themselves before it gets the kind of attention it really needs. Bill Clinton is a great spokesperson, but I think as long as the issue remains so far removed from our legislators, it tends to be "out of sight, out of mind".

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on May 17, 2007 at 9:06pm

Good point. Who from this list do you think could be that person?
http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/ShowContent/inspiration_expert_advice...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Scott Strumello on May 31, 2007 at 8:44am

Unfortunately, too many of the politicians on that list are dead (for example, Fiorello H. LaGuardia has been gone for over 40 years)! Personally, I favor the list at Famous Diabetics a little bit more, but at this point, there are still relatively few famous political leaders in the U.S. who have personal experience with diabetes. Mike Huckabee is a prominent politician who is pursuing the Presidency, but I think his chances don't look very good right now. The good news is that the Congressional Diabetes Caucus has a few members who have kids with diabetes, so we might look there for someone.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Anonymous Jim on November 1, 2010 at 10:19am

Anything helps I just wish diabetes would get the attention and funding that other illnesses got. If you look at the amount of people affected and the attention diabetes gets in the press its a bit of a joke. Then again you could say the same for Alzheimer's. Need to see if I can find a good funding chart comparing which illnesses get the most money.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jeff on November 1, 2010 at 10:55am

That would probably be a lot of work to put together, but it's a great idea. My money is on Breast Cancer. Of course it's also worth considering what percentage of funding goes toward solving the illness vs treating it vs selling Ipods, etc.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Anonymous Jim on November 1, 2010 at 11:12am

I would say Breast Cancer and AIDS. I ticked off a few friends last month when I got fed up with the "I like it in " Facebook comments and posted a rant about how posting a comment about the color of you underwear or where you like to put your purse really does nothing for awareness because I doubted half the people who posted those comments did a self exam after posting and it would be better to post articles about breast cancer or to post something like "Like boobs, Like staying alive do a breast exam or go get a mammogram". Then I proceeded to post a article about how big business is cashing in on pink in Oct. Or my all time favorite Scott Thompson of Kids in the Hall fame on Politically Incorrect saying he wanted to smack celebrities who only wore Red Ribbons when they were in fashion.

If you look back Johnny Cash died of complications of type-2 but all you heard about after he died was Parkinson's. Terry Pratchett went off one time on UK funding for cancer compared to Alzheimer's and how the cost and the number of people it affects is disproportionate. Ok I'm done just had to rant

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jeff on November 1, 2010 at 11:51am

Here's some info from google trends, not really a good gauge of anything but still interesting. These are listed in descending order according to the CDC's published list of causes of death, ignoring 'accidents'. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm

1.00 Heart Disease
28.60 Cancer
3.60 Stroke
0 Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
0 Alzheimer's
8.80 Diabetes

Chronic Lower Respiratory disease doesn't really seem like a realistic search term, so I tried emphysema and Bronchitis, both came in under 1.

Aids didn't make the CDC's list but it came in at 8.00

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by SF Pete on November 1, 2010 at 11:31am

The proof in the pudding will be what happens after this conference and see if it rocks the boat enough to get people motivated to actually do something about a silent killer that is assumed by most everyone else to be a result of some bad dietary and exercise habits. Start with some PSAs about what it is and what to do to get checked. Screening clinics at fairs and other public gatherings would help make more diagnoses. The participants in this conference need to keep the fire burning. I'm somewhat worried that in getting the world's arms around the magnitude of this condition, they may be a little gun shy at the cost of treatment for the less careful. Currently, our elected officials and policymakers are not so inclined to be very worried about diabetics without insurance or who are under-insured. It is wrong for people to have to decide whether or not they are paying the gas bill or buying insulin this month.

• ▶ Reply