Grab a videocam and help us all make sense of diabetes. Manny Hernandez, founder of Diabetes Hands Foundation and the social networking sites, TuDiabetes and EsTuDiabetes, is at it again - making the world more aware of diabetes and, specifically, how it feels to live with diabetes through a new, exciting contest called “Make Sense of Diabetes.”
Anyone with diabetes over the age of 18 can record and submit a video to MakingSenseofDiabetes.org (up to three minutes run time) that demonstrates life with diabetes through one of the five senses. The online video submission should express creativity and originality, be truthful, and convey emotion in a compelling, evocative and personal way. Winning videos will premiere around World Diabetes Day, November 14th.
Of course you don’t have to shoot meds to enter. Whether you control your diabetes with diet and exercise, oral medication or an injectable, you're part of the diabetes community. Beside my gross, little play on words, I do like the cleverness of Manny's contest title, Making sense of diabetes. After all, we live diabetes through our senses every day and every day we need to “make sense” of diabetes to go on.
In thinking about my sensual experience of diabetes, here are my first impressions:
Sight – I see so many patients who need knowledge and information.
Hearing – The world is 25% harder for me to hear
Taste – The smooth, sweetness of my beloved 85% Lindt chocolate, often a nightly treat
Touch – The unexpected sting when a shot hurts and nearly takes my breath away
Smell – The subtle rubbing alcohol smell of my insulin when a drop leaks from my syringe or insulin pen
Contest begins September 28 and lasts through November 1. For more details click here.
Contest sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim. According to the press release BI is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies and committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value.