Day 2: We, the Undersigned

Recently various petitions have been circulating the Diabetes Online Community, so today let’s pretend to write our own. Tell us who you would write the petition to – a person, an organization, even an object (animate or inanimate) - get creative!! What are you trying to change and what have you experienced that makes you want this change? (Thanks to Briley of inDpendence for this topic suggestion.)

We, the fathers/mothers/sisters/brothers/wives/husbands/aunts/uncles/grandparents/grandchildren/caregivers/friends of the Diabetes Online Community, are writing to you, yes, YOU.(oh clueless, blissfully ignorant, person)Our lives are challenging, and ever revolving around this disease. As such, there are a few things that we feel that need to be changed...and changed NOW.

#1 Let's stop the diabetes discrimination at school, and in the workplace. Let's allow students with diabetes to be able to care for their diabetes needs, without fear of reprisal. Let's fire the jerk instructors of the world that don't want to make those accommodations. Let's make our workplaces and schools SAFE places, where we can all feel good about going to.

#2 Someone needs to conduct a massive re-education of the masses. All diabetes educational materials written prior to 1993 should be burned,and everyone should attend a mandatory diabetes educational seminar. (travelling CDE's?) As well as RIGHT information being taught in schools and universities. Newspapers and other media that publish diabetes inaccuracies should be heavily fined for such offenses.Maybe some day people will understand this disease better, and the ignorant jokes about diabetes will stop.

#3 People with diabetes need access to good physicians, CDE's, proper meds(etc.),and a host of other resources to properly manage their disease. I don't have any answers to how this can take place, but I do know that there are many, many people out there who will never be able to afford good care or maybe ANY care and that breaks my heart. People with diabetes deserve the best care possible.

#4 People with diabetes should be rewarded for trying to take care of themselves. Listen up, insurance companies. I think you should pay for gym memberships, spa days (mental health IS important), and my diet coke RX.(ok, so that last one isn't that important) Incentive is a powerful motivator, and you need to encourage those feelings of wanting to do better. You could save so much money in the long run if you'd cover these things before they esculate to the point of gangrene and amputations and sepsis and million dollar stays in the ICU. PAY FOR THEM. Education. Mental Health. Diabetes supplies. This is not college level math, this is so basic that even I (who is very, very, bad at math) can see it.

Signed,
The Diabetes Online (& offline) Community