Elder Living Comfortably with Diabetes

Elder Living Comfortably with Diabetes

Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 14:40

 

 

A band member from the James Smith Cree Nation says more Aboriginal people need to know diabetes is not a death sentence.

 

Evelyn Burns has been living with the disease since 1981.

 

Burns is a volunteer and health educator at the reserve’s elementary school and says she considers it her mission in life to teach as many kids as possible about the dangers of the disease.

 

However, she also wants those people who have developed the illness to realize there are many things they can do to cope, and live their lives better.

 

Burns adds she now tries to eat as much wild meat as possible and won’t even touch beef.

 

She says simply talking to a doctor or nutritionist is a good first step for those who want help in re-gaining control of their life.

 

Burns also says it’s difficult for many First Nations people to cut back on overeating when they’ve always been taught not to waste food.

 

She also says her school recently threw out all of the pop machines it had inside its walls and she encourages others to do the same.