Type 2 Adocacy in Canada - Issues & Ideas

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Permalink Reply by Kelly on November 1, 2009 at 5:02pm

To answer your questions:

1. When I was first diagnosed, I visited their website and read up about the disease. They scared the shit out of me with this statement: "In fact, up to 80% of people with diabetes will die as a result of a heart attack or stroke."

They have a clothing/furniture donation pick-up program and they picked up my donations twice.

2. Yes and yes. And I would add that they should recognize some of the more rare forms of diabetes like LADA.
T1 and T2 are very different diseases but with many of the same symptoms and treatments and I think it would be foolish and counterproductive to split off into different causes the way that cancer has different societies for different cancers. I

3. The CDA should advocate for the following issues:
- Awareness of symptoms and causes (if I knew the symptoms, I probably would've been diagnosed five years ago)
- Lobby family docs for regular testing of those in high-risk groups
- Advocate for those with the disease - pumps should be covered under public health
- Support research for a cure, better testing, etc.

Let me defend the CDA. Publishing a colour, glossy magazine is very expensive. In the newspaper business, you do not get color, unless you earn it. The next time you pick up a newspaper you'll note that every page that has a colour photo also has a colour ad. The CDA cannot afford to publish a magazine like that without advertising support. And I can see why they run what seems like the same old, tired articles. It's because the average Canadian, even those newly diagnosed,lack basic knowledge about the disease.

High staff turnover? That happens in every non-profit because they can't pay staff what you can get in the private market because there are CRA rules in what percentage of budget can be spent on staff.

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Permalink Reply by Grant Buchan-Terrell on November 1, 2009 at 5:30pm

I think you've made some excellent points, esp. #3. As to the magazine, I'd rather have no gloss and less colour and better comment. They skirt controversy and ignore surgical remedies. But thanks for thoughts, all views are valuable to process and open discussion.

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