The Big Blue Month Is Here! November Welcomes World Diabetes Day!

November is increasingly becoming synonymous with valuable charity work and campaigns. MOvember is one of them where men decide to grow their moustaches without shaving for the whole month, in aid of awareness around testicular cancer. And that's great but it's known as the blue month for us, not because it's blue for the boys. But because it is the month chosen around the world to raise awareness/funds/backing for diabetes.

In particular November 14th is the day known as World Diabetes Day or #WDD on social media. The benefit of having a particular date for the event means that all different kinds of celebrations and events can be orchestrated around the world. In order to show exactly how united we are in the face of diabetes. Because of course we're stronger and in this together. The IDF also known as the International Diabetes Federation are the orchestrator's of the movement and creator's of World Diabetes Day. As the creators the IDF are then able to encourage its member organisation's to get involved too.

World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation as a joint venture in answer to the growing problem that diabetes was posing the future of the world's population. And for every #WDD day since, there has always been a theme to the day that then lasts the year- and becomes the focus for engaging others with regard to the diabetes problem. Previous themes for the day have included diabetes and foot care, diabetes and the disadvantaged and diabetes in children and adolescents. The reason that it's always on this date is that it was suggested after one of the inventor's of insulin therapy for diabetes- Frederick Banting. Who along with Charles Best their idea was key in the therapy that we use today to treat our diabetes.

Diabetes Education and Prevention are the key themes for World Diabetes Day 2009-2013, which I feel embody a lot of the things we volunteers try and achieve in our work for diabetes. Education is important in terms of learning to better manage our diabetes, fully understanding it and taking control of it. It's also very relevant in terms of educating others to be aware of the condition, in the hope of slowing down the rate and amount of people that are being diagnosed worldwide. But whether you belong to a member diabetes association or not, you could still plan something for the big event. Look out for the next blog coming up on ideas for how to get involved in World Diabetes Day 2013.