Contrary to the title of this entry fortunately, I did not live with diabetes for a year. Rather, I spent a year learning about the disease and equipping myself with the tools to fight what I thought was an inevitable diagnosis. Growing up, I watched my mother, my grandmother and my aunts struggle with type 2 diabetes and I have often asked myself "Will I be a statistic?" I chose to fight fate and joined the droves of people fighting diabetes at the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
From January through December 2008, I lead the government affairs and advocacy division at ADA in communicating about their work. My experience began with an influential press briefing on Capitol Hill to reveal the devastating economic toll of diabetes and a cost calculator tool that illustrated the actual breakdown per state. The country's leading voices in the fight against diabetes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, educated the country about the true cost of diabetes. Just a few months later, I rallied the same influential leaders to lead hundreds of volunteers in lobbying their Members of Congress. The halls of Congress were filled with the stories of people living and thriving with diabetes.
Just months later, I shared the groundbreaking news that the American Diabetes Association helped secure passage of the ADA Amendments Act, a true victory for people with disabilities and chronic conditions like diabetes. While Congress passed this influential bill, parents were still struggling to keep children Safe At School by arguing that unlicensed personnel should be able to administer insulin in the absence of a school nurse. Several California nurse groups brought suit seeking to prevent this care from taking place, despite the severe shortage of nurses in the state. Children like my dearest childhood friend, were caught in the middle of this legal battle. My year of exploring diabetes and giving so many patients a voice came to an end in December 2008. Unfortunately, the Association had to reduce staffing levels and I was among those who were affected, but I vowed to continue my work in the health arena. I kept that promise by going to United Way of the National Capital Area and promoting the work of health and human service agencies throughout the greater Washington area.
*writing samples can be found at the links above.
