The Diabetes Book is for everyone – diabetic or not – who wants a basic understanding of diabetes and some insights into the day to day issues involved in it. People with diabetes and those close to them will probably learn some new things. I know I did in doing the research.
Everyone else can benefit too. The book is written like its directed toward diabetics but it can help others by throwing light on a threat that’s often feared as a dark, mysterious monster lurking around the corner. Once non-diabetics learn of the strides made in treatment and understand diabetes can be treated, they’ll discover that the horror shows they imagine do not need to happen. And once they know the symptoms they may more readily seek treatment for themselves or suggest it for others. If people with symptoms get medical help sooner rather than later they’ll take a huge step toward staying healthy.
I was in Chicago the week Ron Santo was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Previously unknown to me, Santo had Type 1 diabetes in the 1960s and kept it to himself for fear of losing is job. The Chicago Tribune ran stories about his battle that I, as a person with diabetes, could relate to. But I realized most people couldn’t understand them because they don’t know enough about diabetes to appreciate Santo’s position. That’s where the idea for this book came from.
Over the next few months I spoke to people about Santo’s story and found there’s a much greater lack of knowledge about diabetes than I ever dreamed. And it’s almost as prevalent among diabetics as it is in the general public. To make matters worse, misinformation, old wives’ tales and often-repeated falsehoods cause confusion for people who accept them at face value. Good, caring people often “know” things that simply aren’t true and harbor misconceptions that can be counterproductive.
Excerpted from The Diabetes Book: What Everyone Should Know
Challenge Diabetes Program 