Communities walk or run for diabetes awareness

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Since 1999, when Phil Fontaine, former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, proclaimed the first Friday of May as National Aboriginal Diabetes Awareness Day, people in communities across Alberta have been walking or running their way to good health and a growing awareness of how debilitating a disease diabetes can be.

Thanks to the organizing efforts of administrative assistant Jaime Buffalo, diabetes nurse educators Glenda Wade and Leslie Engert, and community health representative Rema Buffalo, more than 1,400 participants in Hobbema registered for that area's 3.5 km annual intertribal diabetes run and walk on May 2.

"It was lots of work getting it organized, but was a lot of fun. The four bands-Ermineskin, Samson, Montana and Louis Bull-joined the event, including Pigeon Lake. Some people jogged, while others walked the distance," said Jaime Buffalo.

A similar event was held at Alexander First Nation, with more than 300 students and community members walking the two kilometres to help create an awareness of the disease.

Annie Paul, the organizer of the Alexander walk, said that she hopes this annual event will encourage people to find answers to questions that they have about diabetes and prevent more people from developing the disease.

Paul said there are still people in denial about diabetes.

The health centre at Alexander offers workshops on the disease four times a year and a number of pamphlets and materials on diabetes are always available.

"I want to tell people not to be afraid to come and ask if they are not sure about anything. We are here as a health team to help them out in managing and controlling diabetes. We do not want diabetes to control anyone," Annie Paul said.

Over time, she hopes the awareness campaign will lead to big changes in the children and their ideas of healthy eating and exercise.

"The parents' eating habits may change, but it is hard for them not to eat sweets if the children want their parents to buy them, so they are going to have to teach and help each other on how to eat healthy and to stay healthy," said Paul.

As an effort to further the diabetes awareness campaign with the youth, the nation's health team decided to hold a poster contest open to the students of the community's Kipothtagahk School and those students from the community who attended nearby schools. Paul said that through the contest, many of the students began to see what diabetes is all about.

"You have to eat healthy, walk and exercise," said Michael Beaulieu, 7. "No one has diabetes in my family. I'm happy about that."

"People should not eat too much sugar if they do not want to have diabetes," said Lacey Rabbit, 9. "My mother has diabetes and she said she cannot eat too much sugar."

"If people do not want to have diabetes, they have to stay healthy and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and exercise. They cannot sleep all day," said Delani Lafleche, 8.

"I think people should eat and stay healthy. I want to save more Elders. They should be eating healthier and exercising," said Natalie Peigan, 11.