Day 1, December 4:
Today was an exciting and energetic day at the Changing Diabetes village, with Table Mountain as a perfect backdrop. The day began with a press conference with CEO Lars Rebien Sørensen, who spoke about the ideas behind the Changing Diabetes bus, the global diabetes pandemic, and how involving youth is a key way of increasing awareness and
support for the Unite for Diabetes campaign. Erik Dunham, a youth panelist, next spoke about his own diabetes, and how access to good health care in the United States has motivated him to fight for the same in developing countries. Both international and local press was present. The press conference concluded with a walk around the ‘village’, including the blood sugar screening table, exercise tents, and children’s drawing area where a drawing contest will be held later in the week.
Visitors to the bus today – 1,025 of them! – included professionals in town for the IDF conference, local Captonians passing by, South Africans who traveled from Johannesburg and Durban and rural areas throughout South Africa. Free blood screenings to check for diabetes were by far the most popular part of the village, with a line stretching across an entire tent all day. For me, this highlighted a fundamental need for more diabetes resources in countries like South Africa, but also highlighted the key role that companies like Novo Nordisk can play.
All in all, the atmosphere at the Changing Diabetes village is one of hope, a feeling that should stay with us as we continue to work to put diabetes higher on the global health agenda.
Day 2, December 5:
Today we had 1,600+ visitors to the bus!!
The day started with the “Challenge for Change” press briefing, to which were invited the 25 IDF Youth Ambassadors, local media, the Discovery Channel and The Economist. Youth Ambassadors shared their plans to challenge the status quo in diabetes care, demand policy change at the grassroots and national levels and raise awareness of diabetes and the issues facing young people living with the condition. The briefing was 
opened by 20 year old Clare Rosenfeld, the originator of the UN Resolution, who gave an impassioned and heartfelt speech about what it’s like to have diabetes, and her motivation for the Unite for Diabetes campaign for a UN Resolution. She spoke about diabetes as an ever-present part of daily life, noting, “Even now, I am thinking about my diabetes: am I going low? Will I be able to continue speaking? With diabetes, you always have to think about a little bit more.” Her sentiments were echoed by three other youth ambassadors: Martin Salkow from South Africa, Anja Nielsen from Denmark and Sergi Vernet from Spain, and backed by Lars Rebien Sorensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk. When asked by the media how young people can help to make a difference in the Unite for Diabetes campaign, the answer from Youth Ambassadors present was to be honest about your condition, rather than keep it to yourself and hide from it. Educate as many people as you can by sharing diabetes with family and friends.
After the press briefing, the rest of the day was spent welcoming our numerous visitors, educating them about diabetes inside the Changing Diabetes bus, giving free blood glucose screenings, and entertaining them – as well as we staff – with some great South African singing and dancing.
Day 3, December 6:
Over the past three days, I have heard many personal stories from visitors to the Changing Diabetes bus. A middle-aged woman in town for the IDF conference, whose friend’s daughter has diabetes. A young woman from Cape Town whose father has type 2 diabetes, and who came to the village to find out if she is also at risk for diabetes because of her father and how she can prevent herself from getting diabetes. A local teenage boy who wondered what diabetes is, and how one gets the disease. A South African teacher who has diabetes and who also has two young students with diabetes, who told me about her yearly lesson plan to educate her students all about diabetes. A mother who has diabetes and wanted to get recipes for “diabetes-friendly” meals. A pediatrician who shared with me, in dismay, her story of how she recently diagnosed an 11 year old patient with type 2 diabetes, the youngest patient she has ever diagnosed with the disease.
Everyone who came to the bus was affected by diabetes in some way, either by having diabetes themselves, or having loved ones with diabetes. This is representative of the real world situation, where most people either know someone with diabetes, or have diabetes themselves. Diabetes affects everyone: individuals, families, and societies.
Also, today’s Kids Drawing Exhibition highlighted personal stories and how diabetes affects people’s lives in both positive and negative ways. Opened by Jacques ‘Jacq’ Terreblanche, South African Idol’s finalist, the event was a great success. Many children
participated in the contest, which featured drawings from children with diabetes that have visited the bus in France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and South Africa. A local girl’s choir also performed, and I was totally impressed by their voices and musicality. The event gave children with diabetes a chance to express themselves through art, and to show how they feel about diabetes.
Day 4, December 7:
Changing Diabetes starts by changing ourselves.
This is the statement written at the entrance to the Changing Diabetes bus, and one that has particular meaning after spending four days on the bus, speaking with over 5,000 visitors. At first glance, this could be interpreted as an individual responsibility and choice. Each of us must start by changing the way we think about diabetes, take care of our bodies with or with diabetes, understand diabetes, and prioritize all aspects of diabetes. Representing this personal responsibility was the long line of people of all ages and backgrounds to get their blood sugar checked, taking the personal initiative to find out if they have diabetes or not.
However, “changing ourselves” means more than that. It means changing our entire world, and redefining it giving diabetes – people with diabetes – the priority and attention it deserves. It means ensuring that the millions of undiagnosed people with diabetes get screened and diagnosed, and provided with adequate and appropriate care. It means making sure that children with diabetes born in developing countries have access to life-saving insulin. It means creating a world in which healthy choices are the easy choices, and in which type 2 diabetes primary prevention is realized.
This week South Africa has shown that it is willing to invest in diabetes as a public health priority, both with their co-sponsoring of the UN Resolution and drafting of the Declaration and Strategy for Diabetes in Africa. Although each is only a piece of paper, their implementation will hopefully lead to real action that will also have real impacts. I hope this trend continues as other nations throughout the world recognize the global threat of diabetes, and do something about it.
Posted by siegelbug 
Posted by siegelbug 
Posted by siegelbug 
