Stories on Health

As a new parent, nothing is easy. You’re worried about your child’s health, nutrition, and exercise—and worried about what the future holds for your baby as he or she grows from child to an adult. Of course you want to protect your children from hurt and pain, and to steer them clear from mistakes you yourself might have made. If you’re a parent with diabetes, however, there are two added concerns: a worry that your own health will be compromised due to complications with diabetes, and a worry that one day your child will develop the disease.

When you are the diabetic parent of a child, there are many things you can do to greatly lessen your worries on both counts. Most importantly, you should always monitor your diabetes closely and pay attention to any common warning signs. Secondly, make sure your child gets regular, thorough checkups so that you can stay attuned to your child’s health. The most convenient thing about having to pay special attention to all these things is this: Whatever steps you employ to help yourself will also be guaranteed to help your child—and vice versa!

With each new presidential election come new attitudes and attention towards topics like diabetes. As each administration differs, so do its policies on topics like health care and research. Politics is never a one-sided issue, but there are a few things you can do to make sure your personal interests are represented. First, stay in touch with how your elected congressmen are voting on issues important to you. If you dislike their voting, or if you see a crucial vote coming up, contact them directly to let them know how you feel. They may not know how important an issue is otherwise.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do as a diabetic is to make sure you stay informed. Informed about current funding, grants, and ongoing research so that you know where your money as a taxpayer is going. Find out how organizations you support feel about legislation. Despite the fact that being involved (and following) in politics can seem like a huge game with no winner, what’s important is that you make your voice heard. If it ever gets to be too much, simply take a moment to focus on what is constant in your life instead trying to make sense of the omnipresent fluctuations of political agendas.