Getting Back On Track

Hey Everyone,

So you may have noticed that there was no JDCA blog last week. Heck, there wasn’t much coming from us at all last week. Being that we are based in New York, Hurricane Sandy took out all paths to the office, and had most of us sitting in the dark for a better part of the week.

Today is the first time we’ve all been in the office since the storm hit. Several of us are fortunate enough to have power returned to our homes, but both Cara and Phil ( who commute from Jersey) are still in the dark. Thousands of homes are destroyed, and it looks like it may be upwards of a week to get large parts of Jersey and the five burroughs back in working order, and years to repair long-term structural damage.

In light of the Hurricane, and with the Election bearing down tomorrow, it almost seems wrong for me to write a blog post solely about diabetes. So I won’t.

Instead, I have a question, and two requests. The question: if you are ever affected by a natural disaster, how would you procure insulin? This is something that I, shockingly, had never really thought about, but is a current reality for many diabetics. Do you have a back-up plan if your local pharmacy is out of commision? It’s not a bad thing to think about–until a Practical Cure emerges, we’re tied to insulin like a ball and chain. You should take some time and figure out what you might do in such a situation.

And now for the requests. No matter where you live, take a moment to be thankful for the things you have. They are easily stripped away. I’m personally thankful because even though this was a destructive hurricane, we lucked out quite a bit. It was only a few years ago that Katrina killed thousands in Louisiana, and luckily nothing on that scale happened here.

Lastly, tomorrow is Election day in the US. And while I know that everything you’re reading/watching/passing-by-in-your-car is telling you how awful the other candidate is and trying to sway your opinion, just make sure you go out and vote. I know this message sounds like an afterschool special, but it’s true. Healthcare is a big ( I repeat, BIG) issue on the table this year, and whoever is elected, their decisions will effect not only diabetics everywhere, but all those suffering from chronic illnesses. You can’t complain about anyone’s decisions if you didn’t let your opinion be known.

We’ll be back up and in tip-top shape shortly, with a whole host of content for National Diabetes Month.

Until Next Time

–Nick