Life can be a little too sweet. Support Diabetes UK and help dia-beat this.

Thank you for showing an interest in my blog. As part of my Citizenship GSCE we have been asked to choose a charity which we feel strongly about- mine being Diabetes UK.  Many are aware of diabetes, but a limited amount of people do something about it. Millions are suffering and with your consideration we could make a change today.

I am currently supporting Diabetes UK in their work. In 2000, according to the World Health Organization, at least 171 million people worldwide had diabetes. Its incidence is increasing rapidly, and it is estimated that by the year 2030, this number will double. I want to introduce diabetes to you in order to demonstrate how serious diabetes is as a condition.

Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. This is because your pancreas does not produce any insulin, or not enough, to help glucose enter your body’s cells – or the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance). You can inherit diabetes or develop it from later causes.

Michelle, 18 years old, developed diabetes when she was 4 years old. Michelle quoted ‘some days, being a diabetic feels like a curse: nobody wants to have to inject themself everyday. I hated being diabetic and rebelled against it a few years ago, and I'm already starting to see the damage I have done to my body. I have had to start wearing glasses, and I've been catching colds left, right and centre because my immune system has had to fight against me destroying it.’ To read more of Michelle’s story and others visit: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/My-life/Teens/Fun-stuff/People-like-me/Michelles-story/. With the support from Diabetes UK and your contributions, people like Michelle are able to live a life worth living. Diabetes UK manages with insurance and finance and other health issues. They are prepared as a charity to campaign for better services and support people by helping communicate with those in the same situation.

Thank you ever so much for reading my blog again. I would be ever so grateful if you could post a response of an overview of what you have read. If you could answer the following questions (Please ensure you have put your name, hometown and country if not the UK)

• Have you ever heard of diabetes before reading this?
• Do you now feel more informed about the issues diabetics are faced with everyday?
• Would you now be prepared to do the following things to improve the lives of diabetics…?

1. Make a donation to ‘Diabetes UK’?
2. Be involved in any fundraising campaigns?
3. Sign up to receive regular information about the work of ‘Diabetes UK’?
4. Support Diabetes when using websites like Ebay?
5. Inform your friends and family in order to persuade them to help support ‘Diabetes UK’ in anyway like the above?