Dear John and Jane Q. Public:

Dear John and Jane Q. Public:

HEY, Kelly Kunik here.

How goes things in your world?

My world is interesting, especially in November.

This note is just a quick heads up that November is American Diabetes Month.

So why not take a moment and learn a few diabetes facts.

I’ll even give you a few to help you start on your “Diabetesalicious” journey.

1. Diabetes is NOT the person with Diabetes fault- in any way, shape or form
2. You can’t catch Diabetes from another person
3. Insulin is not a cure
4. Living with Diabetes is forever. 24X7, 365 days a year. With no time off for good behavior or numbers
5. Insulin pumps don’t mean that the person wearing the pump is free from blood sugar testing and or Diabetes
6. When a person with diabetes takes their insulin/blood sugar in a restaurant, don’t write a letter to the Editor to complain about it. Instead, put yourself in the PWD’s position for just one minute- and be glad it’s not you
7. Refrain from saying offensive phrases such as:

“It could be worse”

“What the hell did you eat to make your blood sugar go up!?”

“You brought this on yourself”

“You have Diabetes because your mother ate to much sugar in the womb.”

“Can you have kids?”- FYI, don’t be surprised if I ask you what your sperm count/number of eggs dropped in your last cycle was right on the spot!

Seriously- statements like that not only get my nose (and other PWDs) bent out of joint in the figurative sense- but could seriously result in you getting your nose bent out of joint in the literal sense.

8. Don’t look at people with Diabetes with pity. We don’t need your pity, we need you to understand our disease and we need your compassion regarding it, but we don’t need or want your pity.

There are things that you can do this month that would help people with Diabetes.

1. You could Donate to a Diabetes Org or research for the cure.
2. You could take some time to learn about Diabetes realities, which would really help to dispel all those silly Diabetes Myths
3. If diabetes runs in your family, you could be brave, bite the bullet and get tested.
4. You could take a moment to tell the person (s) with diabetes in your life:

GOOD JOB! I know how hard you work everyday.

TRUST ME- they’d love to hear it!

So, let’s keep in touch- and lets continue to keep the Diabetes lines of communication open!

Love,

Kelly Kunik

A Person With Diabetes