Dubai: Shedding light on the sufferings of thousands, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in association with Benchmark Middle East, on Thursday kicked off a year-long campaign to create awareness about diabetes.
The Stay Strong initiative, which is part of the year-long Dubai against Diabetes programme, was held at Burj Park, bringing together diabetics, doctors and campaigners in a show of solidarity for diabetes patients.
As part of the campaign, more than 10,000 light bulbs were lit up to form the largest light bulb circle in the world, another Guinness world record.
The Stay Strong initiative aims to reach out to schools, universities and hospitals to educate children about the disease and ways to prevent it.
As part of the campaign, a mobile phone app called Stay Strong was launched recently.
“Dubai against Diabetes is a noble cause and we hope to target as many people as possible through the campaign. Our aim is to spread word about diabetes, to inform as many people as possible about steps that can be taken to prevent this disease and to let diabetics know that they are not alone,” said Mohammad Hamad, founder and managing director at Benchmark Middle East, who organised the event in association with DHA.
The launch event saw a young Emirati, who was diagnosed with diabetes at an early age, speak about his illness and the obstacles he overcame to stay healthy.
“Around 20 per cent of the UAE population suffers from diabetes and the numbers will grow if we don’t create awareness about the lifestyle changes that require to prevent the disease. I don’t more people to go through what I went and what my parents through because of me. We have to overcome challenges at every step and with every step we become stronger,” Abdullah Al Hashidi, the 23-year old Emirati, who campaigns to create awareness about the disease, said.
