World Diabetes Day

Today is World's Dibetes Day. In honor of this day and in an effort to edcuate the local population, we held our monthly Diabetes Club today. Sixty-two people came to the club. The meeting began at 8:30 and we gave free blood exams, physical exams, and each person received a one-on-one consultation with a doctor and nutritionist. Medical staff led three discussions about neuropathy, diet, and exercise. At the end of the club, we handed out pamphlets explaining how to control your diabetes and the right foods to eat, and then we gave everyone a healhty lunch. People came from all over the lake-region, some came from far away, even across the lake.

When measuring blood sugar levels, we were shocked with what we saw. Keep in mind that a normal measurement is 100 and below. However, in our club today we had 21 people with measurements above 200, and 3 people had measurements above 400! We gave them shots of insulin right away, knowing that they were in great danger with such high blood sugar levels. This shows how dangerous diabetes is among Guatemalans and how desperate our Club is needed to help educate people.

Diabetes is a serious illness that effects many people all over the world. The poverty and lack of education that is so prevalent in Guatemala often makes diabetes invisible and deadly. Please consider making a donation to our Diabetes Club so we can continue our efforts in educating people and helping individuals live with diabetes in a healthy way.

Please go to Donate Now, and scroll down.  Enter your donation in the "Other $" box.  In the "Details" box, write "Diabetes Club". Thank you so much!

Diabetes Club

From time to time, we'll post stories of families affected by diabetes so you can see how many lives in Guatemala are affected by this illness.  If you would like to donate to our Diabetic Club, which meets monthly and provides one-on-one medical assistance and education to persons afflicted with diabetes, please go to Donate Now, and scroll down.  Enter your donation in the "Other $" box.  In the "Details" box, write "Diabetes Club".

Thank you so much!
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Crecencia lost her husband and four of her children

Crecencia is not even 40 years old yet and she has already been through a lot in her life. This year has been especially tragic for her.

Nicolas, Crecencia's husband was diabetic and the family didn't have enough money to give him proper medical care. Because of this, Nicolas was rushed to the hospital many times in the last few years as a result of complications with his diabetes. From these hospital trips, the family contracted a huge debt to pay for his treatment. Unfortunately due to lack of proper medical care, last February Nicolas passed away at home. He left behind his wife with 8 kids to raise by herself.

Perhaps his death could have been prevented, but the family could not afford proper medical attention or medicine for his diabetes. We're trying to do everything we can to prevent this illness from taking more lives. Please consider donating to our Diabetes Club. Thank you!

Read Crecencia's full story here.

Our Diabetes Club needs your help!

Many Guatemalans suffer from diabetes.  This is an unfortunate outcome of poor diets and malnourishment, which is very common among impoverished families.  And if the family is poor, then treatment for diabetes is rarely even an option. There is no cure for diabetes, only strategies on how to live with it.  So when a person becomes diabetic their life is forever changed and they always have an imminent medical need. Many lose their eyesight and have trouble walking, which makes it very difficult for them to find jobs and provide for themselves.

We have had several families come to us with diabetes and medical costs related to diabetes.  Often, the family is plunged into debt because of the medical emergencies which often result from diabetes.  For those who know that they have diabetes, very rarely can they afford the much needed medicines, nor can they afford to change their diet. Most people are just happy to have 2 or 3 meals a day, they find it very difficult to have the money to eat the right kinds of foods if they have diabetes.

Because of this, we at Mayan Families have begun a Diabetes Club that meets monthly.  From the members of our club, we have been realizing more and more how much of a problem diabetes is here and how many families need medical assistance because of it.  At our Club, we give general physical exams and test blood levels.  We also teach people about diabetes and hand out information on what they should or shouldn't eat.  Thanks to our volunteer medical staff, we are able to give one-on-one consultation regarding living a healthy life with diabetes.

Because so many poor people are affected by diabetes, our Diabetes Club is a much needed resource for families. However, we need financial assistance to keep it up and running. If you would like to donate to our Diabetes Club, please go to Donate Now  and scroll down.  Enter your donation in the "Other $" box.  In the "Details" box, write "Diabetes Club". Thank you!