As many know, Kim May (a d-Mom) and I created Get Diabetes Right. Get Diabetes Right is an awesome awareness campaign about T1 Diabetes on a Facebook page holding a group of T1 education posters that can be downloaded and posted….well…..everywhere. If you do not know about it, you should go and join the over 8,000 others who like it and stay connected. (Kim and her staff at her ad agency do an INCREDIBLE job of keeping the site very current and active.)
Too many people do not know about diabetes and also there are too many people who are dying because a diagnosis is missed.
Here is something that you can do and it WILL COST YOU NOTHING. August is the month leading up to school in many areas. I know many have started school already (sorry, cause August is a GREAT Summer month) and that is fine because it is not too late just because your school started and everyone can do this, it’s free and extremely easy.
Copy and past the photo on this post or go to Get Diabetes Right on FB and choose one you like. Let’s call this:
AUGUST: OPERATION DIABETES EDUCATION BACK-TO-SCHOOL MONTH
Send an email to your school nurse (and actually to all the schools in the district, and copy the principal as well). Tell them that they can help make sure a child does not die because of a misdiagnosis of diabetes and to please post the attachment you are sending in the school nurses office.
Here is an example quick email:
Dear Ms. Johnson,
As you know, diabetes is very important to us having a child with type1 and I am sending this quick email because August is Operation Diabetes Education Back to School month which is a grass-roots effort to help educate our communities about the warning signs for T1 diabetes.
Children have died in our country because many times diabetes symptoms are over-looked because of their flu-like symptoms. Kindly post this is in your office to help spread the word about T1 diabetes and the warning signs.
Thank you and if you have any questions, call me at 555-0123.
Sincerely,
Mary Jones
Mom to Janie, diagnosed in 2007
VERY IMPORTANT–Once you have done that, please go to Get Diabetes Right and let everyone know what school you emailed and what state it is in.
The idea of grass-roots efforts is just that; so please pass this post everywhere you can so we can hit as many schools as possible. This is so simple and EVERYONE can do it. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
Let’s do this, let’s GET DIABETES RIGHT.
I am a diabetes dad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.