Dubai
According to the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, the UAE is ranked 16 worldwide in diabetes incidence, with 19 per cent of the country’s population living with diabetes. It is a challenge particularly pronounced in children and young adults.
Diabetes is a condition that occurs as a result of problems with the production and supply of insulin in the body. There are two types of diabetes and in recent years, there has been a rapid rise in type 2 diabetes across all age groups.
However, all is not lost. The UAE has taken several measures to beat diabetes. One such event was the Beat Diabetes Walk 2014, which took place on December 12 in Zabeel Park, Dubai.
As the number of children in the UAE with type 1 diabetes has doubled since 2000, according to a Abu Dhabi-based study, it is highly important for children to be aware and learn about this condition. This is one of the reasons why Miracle Dynamos participated in this awareness event. Miracle Dynamos comprises young volunteers, who believe in working for humanitarian causes and making this world a better place to live in. To know more about the group, visit miracledynamos.wordpress.com.
To wake up in the early hours of a Friday morning is not a regular routine, yet, thousands of individuals showed up to walk for a cause. When we reached the park, we were amazed to hear the music rolling in the background, getting each person into an enjoyable mood. The walk began at 8am at Zabeel Park, and activities lasted up till 11.30am. After the walk, people could enjoy fun activities as well as participate in ‘One Touch’ on-the-spot health checks. There was a nominal entry fee of Dh10 to Dh20, with all the proceedings expected to be donated to the Al Jalila Foundation, to support diabetes research and healthcare in the UAE.
The 23 members of Miracle Dynamos who registered for the event, were among the thousands of participants in the Walk.
Among the student members were 13-year-old Denise Nicole and 9-year-old Ananya Agarwal, who said: “Seeing people of different nationalities and different age groups walk together for one cause was very encouraging.”
Isha Kumthekar, who is also a 13-year-old, said: “It is important to stay fit and healthy. We let everyone know to eat healthy, get active and beat diabetes.”
To really understand how difficult it is to manage diabetes, I talked to a diabetic person present at the Walk.
Aniruddha Kumthekar said: “It is quite challenging, because there is a drastic change of lifestyle. Managing a chronic condition like diabetes can also feel overwhelming at times. Having to watch what you eat, stay active, take your medicines and check your blood sugar can get stressful. In times like these, all you need is some motivation to keep your lifestyle in check.”
I personally believe that the first step towards change is awareness. The second step is acceptance and the third is to act for a change. The Beat Diabetes Walk made it possible to take this first step and made my Friday morning meaningful.
The reader is the founder of Miracle Dynamos and is based in Dubai.
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