By Ejeh Peace Anne
The World Diabetes Day is a day set aside every year on the 14th of November, to recognize the diabetes patients’ ailment and to create an awareness campaign on how this can be curtailed.
World Diabetes Day serves as a worldwide platform where individuals with diabetes, healthcare professionals, advocates, media, the general public, and government organisations come together to amplify awareness about diabetes.
The theme for World Diabetes Day 2023 is ‘Empowering Global Health,’ emphasizing individual well-being and the collective effort required to address the global challenge of diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the blood sugar level gets too high. It is generally developed when the pancreas doesn’t create enough insulin or any at all, or when the body isn’t responding to the effects of insulin properly. Diabetes can affect people of all ages. Most forms of diabetes are chronic and last for a long while most of such forms are manageable with medications and lifestyle changes.
This is a difficult story to share, but it has strong elements of perseverance and hope for every student in the university of Jos with diabetes.
I connected with David Stephen, a 300 level student of the Engineering department and he offered to share his diabetes story with me.
David is a young man of 27 years of age, currently a university of Jos student, From the North Central Nigeria. David has had diabetes for almost 10 years ever since he was a teenager.
Being diabetic as a student for David has been financially and mentally draining. He has suffered from embarrassment of falling unconsciously in the classrooms, Hostel and other public Areas in the campus as a result of Hypoglycemia.
However, being diabetic didn’t stop David Stephen’s academic performance in class.
He performed very well in class in the midst of his medical issue.
David Stephen shared with me how he chooses to confront his provokes and not give himself to wretchedness , depression and self-destructive contemplations:
- David Restricts his sugar and refined starches in his eating.
- He Engages in regular exercise for at least 30 minutes daily.
- Also, He avoids sugary drinks, and consistently takes more water.
- David Stephen doesn’t confine himself from his Course mates he was more keen on mentioning for Instructional exercises and posing inquiries with respect to the classes he missed.
- He goes for Ordinary clinical examination and Consistently appeals to God about his ailments.
I trust this is a wellspring of consolation for each undergraduate student with Diabetes in the university of Jos to never surrender and stay optimistic.
