Dear Newspaper X

Dear Newspaper X,

On Saturday, November 14, thousands of people around the world will come together,
to raise awareness of diabetes, an annual event named World Diabetes Day.



But there are many millions of people YET to be diagnosed. The American Diabetes Association estimates that of the over 23 million people(8% of the total US population), about 6 million don't even know they have it. 1.6 million new cases will be diagnosed this year. Nor is this solely a US problem, cases of diabetes are exploding rapidly across the globe. In China, there are over 40 million people with the disease.

There is no cure for diabetes..but there is treatment. However, to the millions of people that don't even know they have it until presenting to a hospital emergency room with a heart attack, or waking up one morning blind from the effects of it, these people never got a chance to treat it. World Diabetes Day seeks to raise awareness of this disease, and the need for regular screening & treatment. So much suffering could be averted, if people could be diagnosed & treated early. Until there is a cure (for both type 1 and type 2), this is the best we can do.

I hope you will consider running a piece about it in your newspaper,(pre-, or on Nov. 14) this is a subject that cannot be ignored.As a type 1 diabetic,I know first hand the difficulties of the disease,but I am committed to awareness/education, because diabetes can be successfully managed. The effects of diabetes can be devastating, not just to the individuals afflicted but to the families and friends of those individuals. The voice of the media is the most effective way of getting the information out there.


Sincerely,

X