1 in every 10 or 11 people has diabetes. About 1 in 4 of them don’t even know they have it.
National Di
abetes Month is observed every November to bring attention to diabetes and its impact. This year for National Diabetes Month, I’m sharing interviews with people important in the diabetes community. Our first interview is with Manny Hernandez, a person with type 1 diabetes and an advocate for all people with diabetes. Born in Venezuela and living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Manny has lived with diabetes since 2002. As an advocate, he co-founded the Diabetes Hands Foundation in 2008 and led the organization until 2015. Since then he has been a part of the executive team at Livongo Health. Manny believes that nobody living with diabetes should ever feel alone.
Jill: The theme for National Diabetes Month this year is Managing Diabetes – It’s Not Easy, But It’s Worth It. What does this mean to you?
Manny: Diabetes can be very taxing. As a chronic condition, it doesn’t go away, and it doesn’t have a cure. But it doesn’t stop there. Often you can do the same things two days in a row and get different results. It’s a condition where so many factors have an influence on your blood glucose levels. When I talk to others with diabetes, a running theme I hear is: “it never goes away; diabetes doesn’t give you a break.” But it is definitely worth it. I mean, the alternative is what? Not living to see my grandchildren? (I have a thirteen-year old son) I am not going to let that happen!
To stay motivated, I don’t think in the very long term, but one day at a time: if one day I face a challenge (which happens often with diabetes), the next day I have another opportunity to get up and try again.
Jill: What are a few things you want people with diabetes to know about advocating for their health?
Manny: You need to be your biggest advocate. If you have questions, you need to ask. It’s OK to feel afraid to ask, but it’s not OK to not get answers. If something feels wrong, trust your gut and make sure you understand what’s going on and why. This applies whether you are fighting your health plan for coverage of a therapy you need for your diabetes management; whether you are holding accountable the school your child with diabetes is attending for providing the accommodations stipulated in his 504 Plan; or explaining to a friendly neighbor offering advice why eating sugar doesn’t cause diabetes.
The other thing is to be persistent. Nothing important is easy to accomplish. And this too applies to diabetes advocacy (or any kind of advocacy, for that matter). The deeper and more lasting the change you are seeking to effect, the more disciplined and persistent you need to be. One of my lasting advocacy platforms has been to introduce medical providers to the power and value that comes from peer-to-peer interactions among people with diabetes. After over ten years at it, it feels like we’re beginning to make a dent, but there’s much more to accomplish.
Last, always remember that the most powerful advocacy tool that you have is your vote: do not ever let go of the opportunity to exercise this right!
Jill: Where can people find emotional support to help them deal with the daily grind of diabetes?
Manny: When things gets challenging, I find comfort chatting about it with my diabetes friends. Over the years, and thanks to communities like TuDiabetes.org, I have made great friends who are very supportive and help me see things in a different light if I may be stuck. No matter how long you’ve had diabetes (one day, one decade, or your whole life), it’s easier together with others like yourself.
Jill: Besides connecting with others, what are a few of your healthy habits that you attribute to your successful management of diabetes?
Manny: First off, I’d like to dispel the myth that I am somehow more successful in managing my diabetes than others. I face my challenges living with this condition like everyone else does. I have had low A1cs and high A1cs, good days and bad days. Overall, to me the most important thing to do (and my friends remind me, if I ever forget) is to not let challenges keep me down: They may BRING me down, but I try not to let them keep me there. So a high A1c is not a judgment: it’s information! It serves like a compass telling me which direction I need to go (down!) and it invites me to take a closer look at my glucose data, looking for trends to help me get to a better place.
Jill: Any final words for anyone starting in their diabetes journey?
Manny: You are not alone. It may feel that way… and the road ahead may feel overwhelming, almost unbearable, but you are not alone, and you can do this. This amazing community of men and women who have started on this journey before you are there to support you, as you regain your strength and the knowledge you will need to start doing part of the job that your body no longer does by itself. Don’t give up!
Follow Manny on Twitter.
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