A barbecue in Regina’s North Central neighbourhood today provided some food for thought for the hundreds of people that showed up.
There was food, face painting, First nations dancers and a message that could save some lives.
One of the sponsors of the event was the Canadian Diabetes Association.
They set up a pre-screening clinic to assess someones risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Eighty-thousand people in Saskatchewan have it — and if you are Aboriginal, the risk of developing it is four to seven times greater than the non-Aboriginal community.
Errol Kinistino was one of the speakers. He is a First Nations actor who has appeared in TV shows like Corner Gas. He also suffers from Type 2 diabetes:
“I was shocked when I heard. I cried. Just that word — “die”-abetes, is like shocking. But then, I live with a lot of hope these days.”
Brie Henetka is with the Canadian Diabetes Association. She says many people who suffer from diabetes don’t even know it:
“We know that one in three people living with diabetes don’t know they have diabetes. So that means a lot of the complications that occur from diabetes can start to happen without people even knowing it.”
The longer you wait, the greater your risk of complications.
Early detection, exercise and diet can play a critical role in managing the disease and living a long and healthy life.