November has been declared as Diabetes Awareness Month worldwide to coincide with World Diabetes Day on November 14. Over one million Canadians are currently living with diabetes and over 5,000 die from the disease annually. Canada is also an important participant in the search for a cure for diabetes; Banting and Best created the first known treatment for the disease which has saved many lives.
In recognition of Diabetes Awareness Month, the City of Vaughan is presenting several workshops and free health screening during November. These workshops will be held at several community centres and will be hosted by a nurse practitioner and a diabetes dietician. Local printing companies have provided a brochure outlining when and where these workshops will be held; two of the locations will be the Chancellor Community Centre on November 16 and 30 and Maple Community Centre on November 16.
Those who attend the workshops will get to ask one-on-one questions of the nurse and the dietician, they will also receive free screening for diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension. It is important that as many people as possible attend workshops such as this. Many people in the population are living with diabetes and they don’t even realize it. The sooner these people can start receiving treatment the less likely they will be to die from it. It is a scary thought of the prospect of having to inject yourself daily with a needle, but early diagnosis might mean a patient is able to avoid the use of insulin
