Throwback Thursday puts life into perspective
Oh hey. It is Thursday. Better known as Throwback Thursday on social media. It is also the first two weeks of February. Those two combined are helping me put things into perspective.
Let's throw it back for a moment. Remember life way back in the 70s? I don't as I wasn't born yet. Ha! But information from the 70s made its way to the 80s and even into the 90s. It was updated as time went on, but it still moved with time. In the 70s, care for diabetes was nothing like it is now. My understanding is for testing your sugars, you had to pee on a stick (just like we do now for keytones) and you'd know what your sugars had been about an hour and a half earlier. Not too helpful. What we should reflect on though is that the life expectancy of someone with diabetes was to only live into their 30s.
Damn! I'm in my early 30s. It's a terrorizing thought.
Thankfully, care has improved. Greatly improved. And slowly life expectancy is increasing. I think when I was a teenager I was able to expect to live into my 50s. Not bad. I suppose I should have planned ahead and have my mid-life crisis in my 20s. I neglected to do that. And now, these days, life expectancy is basically what it is for all you lucky people with functioning pancreases.
I should go celebrate that reminder. Also, if I keep up my efforts to take care of myself, which why wouldn't I, you suckers are stuck with me for a long ass time. HA! :) {I see one of you rolling your eyes at me over there Internet. Quit it. You know the sentence made you smile.}
But how does throwing back to how things used to be work in conjunction with the first 14 days of February to put things into perspective?
Because even though life expectancy is increasing each year for diabetics, we still need insulin to stay alive. That is what it boils down to. No insulin? Time to find a comfy coffin. Man, I'm being a little morbid. My apologies.
The perspective comes because I'm extremely fortunate to have access to insulin. I'm fortunate to have insurance that covers my insulin making it affordable for me. Thing is, children around the world lack access to insulin. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the estimated life expectancy of a child with diabetes is less than a year.
Let that sink in.
Without insulin, a child with diabetes can expect to live LESS than a year.
That is less than 365 days. A child. They may never have the opportunity to become a teenager. They may be so young they may never get to learn to read a book. Or go to school. A child.
The first 14 days of February, there is a campaign going on. It is Spare a Rose. Save a Child. It is a campaign to encourage you to maybe buy one less rose this year for Valentine's Day and donate the five dollars to this campaign. Those five dollars will supply a child with one month of insulin.
If you don't feel comfortable about shortchanging your significant other one rose for a great cause, fine. Maybe instead bring a sack lunch to work instead of going out and you'll easily save over five dollars, which you can then contribute to this wonderful campaign.
A child doesn't ask for this disease and it shouldn't be a death sentence because of a lack of access to insulin.
Perspective friends. Absolute perspective. I'm damn lucky. Help a child be lucky.
Let's throw it back for a moment. Remember life way back in the 70s? I don't as I wasn't born yet. Ha! But information from the 70s made its way to the 80s and even into the 90s. It was updated as time went on, but it still moved with time. In the 70s, care for diabetes was nothing like it is now. My understanding is for testing your sugars, you had to pee on a stick (just like we do now for keytones) and you'd know what your sugars had been about an hour and a half earlier. Not too helpful. What we should reflect on though is that the life expectancy of someone with diabetes was to only live into their 30s.
Damn! I'm in my early 30s. It's a terrorizing thought.
Thankfully, care has improved. Greatly improved. And slowly life expectancy is increasing. I think when I was a teenager I was able to expect to live into my 50s. Not bad. I suppose I should have planned ahead and have my mid-life crisis in my 20s. I neglected to do that. And now, these days, life expectancy is basically what it is for all you lucky people with functioning pancreases.
I should go celebrate that reminder. Also, if I keep up my efforts to take care of myself, which why wouldn't I, you suckers are stuck with me for a long ass time. HA! :) {I see one of you rolling your eyes at me over there Internet. Quit it. You know the sentence made you smile.}
But how does throwing back to how things used to be work in conjunction with the first 14 days of February to put things into perspective?
Because even though life expectancy is increasing each year for diabetics, we still need insulin to stay alive. That is what it boils down to. No insulin? Time to find a comfy coffin. Man, I'm being a little morbid. My apologies.
The perspective comes because I'm extremely fortunate to have access to insulin. I'm fortunate to have insurance that covers my insulin making it affordable for me. Thing is, children around the world lack access to insulin. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the estimated life expectancy of a child with diabetes is less than a year.
Let that sink in.
Without insulin, a child with diabetes can expect to live LESS than a year.
That is less than 365 days. A child. They may never have the opportunity to become a teenager. They may be so young they may never get to learn to read a book. Or go to school. A child.
The first 14 days of February, there is a campaign going on. It is Spare a Rose. Save a Child. It is a campaign to encourage you to maybe buy one less rose this year for Valentine's Day and donate the five dollars to this campaign. Those five dollars will supply a child with one month of insulin.
If you don't feel comfortable about shortchanging your significant other one rose for a great cause, fine. Maybe instead bring a sack lunch to work instead of going out and you'll easily save over five dollars, which you can then contribute to this wonderful campaign.
A child doesn't ask for this disease and it shouldn't be a death sentence because of a lack of access to insulin.
Perspective friends. Absolute perspective. I'm damn lucky. Help a child be lucky.
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