Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, the main type of sugar in the blood. Glucose, which comes from the foods we eat, is the major source of energy needed to fuel the body 's functions. To use glucose, the body needs the hormone insulin. But in people with diabetes, the body either can 't make insulin or the insulin doesn 't work in the body like it should. It is hereditary but they have no idea who I got it from. In type 1 diabetes, the body 's immune system destroys the cells that make insulin, eventually eliminating insulin production from the body. Without insulin, cells cannot absorb sugar, which they need to produce energy. In type 2 diabetes, the body isn 't able to use insulin the correct way. Causing insulin deficiency. Considering that both my parents were born and raised in Africa. Most of the time if a relative died it was blamed on malaria or some superstitious beliefs. There were no diabetes testing, and to my knowledge my mom did not know anything about diabetes until moving to America and still after that she knew not enough to prepare her to face the challenge of raising a child dealing with juvenile diabetes. In the hospital I was told that my diabetes did not just creep up on me one day, it came progressively. As each year went by I was developing symptoms of diabetes. Symptoms such as frequent urination, excessive thirst, increased hunger, weight loss, tiredness, lack of interest and concentration, a tingling sensation or numbness in my hands and feet, also blurred vision. It was always put off as “Oh, Jemima is just complaining or being dramatic.” Not knowing much about diabetes my mother never took it as something she needed to tell the doctor to check if I have. A study in UK decided that they would bring in people that are high risk for diabetes that had prevalent undiagnosed diabetes that had never been tested but due to family history, weight, age and ethnicity they were labeled as “high risk” they followed these young adults throughout their life and about 73 % of them developed diabetes at one point or another (Simmons 1741). One could say that if these people were getting yearly screenings to show them just how close to being diagnosed with full blown diabetes they were then those individuals would have worked harder to control their eating habits and lifestyle. Granted often you can’t stop diabetes because your pancreas breaks down on you and I often overlook that fact. Even so it all comes down to the person …show more content…
Diabetes is most common amongst the minorities. In 2013, it was tested and proved 7.6% of white Americans were diagnosed with Diabetes while 29% of African and Native Americans were diagnosed with Diabetes and It seems to me that because of that diabetes is put at the end of the lists when it is actually one of the most occurring diseases. Diabetes is a disease you cannot grow out of. You do not turn twenty-two and after that it is set in stone that you cannot be diagnosed with diabetes. It also is a disease that has no cure therefore I believe more attention should be put on it because I am sure all people do not want to be put in a situation where you are diagnosed with a disease that you have no cure for and there is no promise that you will live a healthy life with no