The Investments of Diabetes
I know a lot about time.
My parents used to joke that I was an old man born in a young boy’s body. I was always concerned with the time, counting down to to the next event or goal. How far off are we? When is this due? How long is this going to take? Do we have enough time for that?
In the past few years I’ve eased up a bit on my intense need to create everything by a deadline, though not much. To me, time is an investment worth far more than money. You can lose money, sure. You can spend frivolously or be blindsided by a catastrophe that wipes our your savings, but you can always try to make it back. Time is finite. There is no return. Once the clock starts, you continue to lose it until there is nothing left. I’ve been aware of it for a long time, partially due to my diabetes.
Quite frankly, diabetes is a time sink. Testing your blood sugar, adjusting your insulin levels, getting in the right amount of exercise, acquiring your supplies, staying up late to treat a high, changing your pump, adjusting your dose, etc. Diabetes can take up a lot of your time, if you let it. It requires an investment of energy and dedication that can take a toll on you, both mentally and physically.
Even more problematic are the investments in keeping diabetes around. There is money in the system–hundreds of millions of dollars–backing all of the horses running against progress. Today, Warren Buffett placed a lot of money behind several diabetes and kidney treatment companies, banking on the rates of diabetes to continue to rise around the world. Now, I actually like Warren Buffett (particularly for his candor), but this move should be a warning to all type 1′s that unless we act, the odds are not in our favor. Diabetes is a business, and if current trends are indicative of the future, it’s a business that is continuing to expand.
The next time you give a donation to a diabetes charity, ensure it goes to a cure. Our specification letter can be found here: http://www.thejdca.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Donor-Action-Letter.pdf
How much more of your time can you afford to have wasted on diabetes? How many late, worried nights trying to get your sugars under control? Money is mobilized in the millions against a cure, so make sure that the next time you give, you’re helping to stack the odds in our favor. We must progress to the ultimate goal: A Practical Cure for Type 1 Diabetes.
