November is Diabetes Awareness Month and Pharmasave will participate in a blue circle campaign, where people can purchase blue circles for $2 each, to raise funds and awareness in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association’s (CDA) D-Camps including the Saskatchewan Children’s Camp, for children and youth living with type 1 diabetes. Both the Weyburn and Radville Pharmasaves are participating in the campaign. Last year, Pharmasaves across Saskatchewan raised $15,000.
The CDA’s camping tradition began in 1953 and has since grown extensively. The CDA currently operates 12 camps across Canada. The focus of these camps is to provide children living with type 1 diabetes the opportunity to enjoy an authentic camp experience, in a medically accommodating environment with a dedicated team of health-care professionals.
The team works closely with campers and counsellors, many of whom also live with type 1 diabetes, to provide the highest level of care. D-Camps give children an opportunity to gain independence in managing their disease, and the knowledge that they are not alone in living with type 1 diabetes. At D-Camps, diabetes management fits into the day as naturally as a jump in the lake or an evening campfire.
“Often there are children that come from small towns or communities where they are the only people their age with diabetes. It is Pharmasave’s hope to further raise awareness and funding, so that children who live with diabetes can go to camp and be in a safe environment where they can meet and connect with others that share similar challenges and experiences,” said Paul Melnyk, director of pharmacy operations at Pharmasave Drugs (Central) Ltd.
In Saskatchewan, it’s estimated 97,000 people have been diagnosed with diabetes while many others have it and remain undiagnosed and a further 176,000 live with prediabetes. Every three minutes, another Canadian is diagnosed with diabetes. Not only is the number of cases rising, so are the serious complications. Diabetes is a cause of 30 per cent of all strokes, 40 per cent of all heart attacks, 50 per cent of kidney failure requiring dialysis, 70 per cent of all lower limb non-traumatic amputations and a leading cause of blindness.
“Diabetes introduces kids to a new reality, one that often makes them feel different from their peers. A diagnosis also brings with it a new set of skills for kids to learn: how to test their blood sugar levels, prime and inject a needle, prepare and insert a pump, count carbs, recognize and treat a high or low blood sugar and maintain a balance between food, insulin and activity,” said Brie Hnetka, regional director for Saskatchewan at the CDA.
One in three Canadians already has diabetes or prediabetes and many don’t know it, so the need for prevention is greater than ever. By taking a short online type 2 diabetes risk test at DiabetesTest.ca, people can start to take charge of their health.
