Type 1 diabetes affects 10 percent of patients who are diagnosed with diabetes. I became part of this “lucky” club at the age of 30. The disease is growing faster globally. It is predicted that 1 in 10 persons will become afflicted by 2030.
Now, while this is a serious disease, diabetes is manageable and, in the West, an acceptable part of life with a solid support mechanism that includes top-rated doctors, pharmaceuticals, proper nutrition, screening, public support, associations, etc.
Many diabetics live fulfilling lives into their older years and, if the disease is properly handled, no one can see its effects. I am proof of this. Most people are stunned when I inform them and most tell me “but you don’t look like you are sick.” That one always makes me smile as, what does a diabetic look like? Many diabetics not only live normal lives, but they excel – such as Hollywood star Halle Berry and American football player Jay Cutler.
However, living with diabetes in Ukraine requires awareness and vigilance.
There are too few good doctors in Ukraine, based on my 14 years of experience with this disease. The sad fact is that diagnosis and treatment lag behind the West, not only in qualified doctors but more so in the public’s uninformed views. Some doctors are arrogant know-it-alls uninterested in Western education. Their attitudes put patients at risk.
I’ve met people who have been diagnosed with type 2 when the reality was they had type 1!
This mistake can cost lives. Those with the hereditary type 1 diabetes are people whose pancreas doesn’t produce insulin naturally anymore. So, with the wrong blood-sugar levels, a person can fall into a coma, suffer brain damage, go blind or even die without insulin.
I’ve had to educate doctors on the proper ratio of insulin before eating certain foods or the necessity of checking blood-sugar levels many times per day. A friend’s father who suffered from low blood sugar attack (hypoglycemia) was left on the street unconscious. People walked by him, believing he was a passed out drunk. Consequently, he lost body functions and suffered irreversible brain damage.
Diabetes is a serious disease. But it is manageable with understanding and a supportive health care system. Diabetes is not a death sentence, but rather a part of life that all should accept – something to remember on World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14.
Luc Chenier is the CEO of the Kyiv Post.
