Help break the stigma surrounding diabetes and save lives
Diabetes stigma might seem like a minor problem – people making bad jokes about getting diabetes, or acting weird around injections. But the reality is that South Africa has a huge diabetes stigma problem, and it's contributing to the fact that 1 in 2 South Africans with diabetes are undiagnosed. This, in turn, contributes to the reason why diabetes is the number one killer of women and number two killer of men in our country.
It's time to change the face of diabetes, by showing that it doesn't just affect one kind of person. We can do this by bringing diabetes into the spotlight and by dispelling the myths and misinformation around it. Together, we can show that #DiabetesLooksLikeMe. Read – and share – more about diabetes on Sweetlife.
Share the video, share the message: This video highlights the fact that every kind of person, regardless of age, gender, race or socio-economic background, can get diabetes. Play your part in spreading the message and breaking the stigma by sharing a selfie of yourself with the hashtag #DiabetesLooksLikeMe so that we can flood social media with images of all different kinds of people with diabetes.
Share your story: Is there a stigma around living with diabetes?
You're invited to share your story of stigma around Diabetes on Facebook and Instagram, as well as joining in on a Facebook Live today, Wednesday 28th May at 7pm. It will be a discussion between psychologist Daniel Sher and Sweet Life co-founder Bridget McNulty, both living with diabetes, in which they welcome questions and comments from the broader diabetes community. Everyone is invited!
For more on health, visit Get It Magazine.
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