Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
(INTRO MUSIC)
MANNY HERNANDEZ: Whether you are having excellent control of your diabetes or you're struggling,
uhm, it is a chronic condition; that concept takes a while to sink in but that means it
just doesn't go away. That is a very heavy burden, you know? And that can have important
emotional effects; the truth is if you're having excellent control, joining a community,
joining a support group where there are other people with diabetes, yo can find something
that resonates with you, that you can relate to. There is a project that we run within
todiabetesenesta [SPANISH] called "To Analyze." And "To Analyze" is aĆmodule that lets members
enter, track and share if they want their hemoglobin A1C data and we have learned so
much from the data we have collected through it. One of the things we have found is that
there seems to be a clear connection between how engaged someone is and how much improvement
they show in their hemoglobin A1C levels. This is no substitute for medical, you know,
advice and medical information so you have to take whatever you learn and work with your
medical team. Uhm, so it doesn't end there; it just starts there. But I think joining
a community, like todiabetes, is an excellent first step, an excellent way to, to engage
with your health, engage with your diabetes and learn, learn a ton from other people and
realize you're not this, you're not the only one who's having this problem or who's had
this problem. And you are not doomed to having higher numbers; you're not doomed to losing
a leg or losing your eyesight.
(MUSIC)
FEMALE: Feeling like you belong to a community is so important because there are so many
responsibilities that come with this disease that no one understands unless they have it.
And it's so relieving to sit in a room where other people are checking their blood sugar
and taking shots and counting carbs before they eat their dinner. it's just a feeling
of, "Oh my gosh! I am not the only one!"
(MUSIC)
MANNY HERNANDEZ: On "tudiabetes," some of the most commonly discussed topics have to
do with specific types of therapies or devices. When someone with Type Two diabetes is faced
with starting taking insulin shots, they normally feel afraid and uh, when someone posts that
and say[s], "Hey guys! I'm about to start on insulin, like, I'm really scared" uh, you
will see the community respond. People who have been there, done that will say so; you
know it's like, "My friend, I'm sorry you're going through this" Maybe they'll just say,
like, "you know, we're with you" you know? So, it is very supportive. You know, other
groups are working towards finding a cure; the groups are, you know, working in improving
therapies, improving access to care; we're trying to, you know, connect people touched
by diabetes and raise diabetes awareness so that other people that don't live with, you
know, understand better what it is like.
(OUTRO MUSIC)