Opinion
You can live with diabetes – or die
I do not care for President Obama's choice for the Supreme Court.
Judge Sotomayer is probably the most overturned nominee ever to seek the high bench.
She also is a diabetic. She has injected insulin for most of her 55 years.
But that should not be held against her, and to her credit, she has been forthcoming about her health.
A lot of folks have diabetes. The American Diabetes Association reports 18 million of us have the disease and 6 million have it and do not know it. Another 41 million have pre-diabetes.
"Us"? You bet. I have been diagnosed and am learning how to manage the disease. I am confident I will because I have guidance from Nurse Practitioner Lisa Coltrane at the Macclesfield Health Clinic and Registered Nurse Charlotte Goodwyn and her able assistant Nikki Wooten with the Edgecombe County Health Department.
Goodwyn is the coordinator of an excellent – and free – program offered here. To be eligible, you must be referred by a physician.
The program has a three-tier approach:
• There's an educational phase when you learn more about the disease.
• You can meet one-on-one with a registered dietician at Heritage Hospital.
• And you can participate in an exercise program offered five days a week between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the hospital gym or pool.
“People want to learn and need structure," Goodwyn said “They want to take charge of their lives.”
All of this is aimed at keeping diabetics out of the hospital.
Diabetes is one of the top five health concerns in Edgecombe County behind breast cancer, stroke, heart disease and obesity. However, it is not difficult to link diabetes to stroke, obesity and even heart disease.
Since the program started more than three years ago, more than 2,000 people have been screened through health fairs, schools, churches, businesses and civic groups.
About 500 people have taken advantage of attending the educational session.
Goodwyn estimates there are about 63 people actively involved in the exercise program today.
(Old) state statistics report 6.5 out of every 100 people in Edgecombe have diabetes.
"I'm sure it's more than that," Goodwyn said.
None of the diabetics in the program have had to be hospitalized due to complications from diabetes.
The program operates on a $175,000 annual budget, $100,000 of which comes from the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners, $50,000 from University Health Systems (Heritage Hospital), $12,000 from the Sanoti-Aventis pharmaceutical company and various other grants.
If you are 45 or over, Goodwyn recommends screening, a simple blood test.
It's good advice.
“You don't want to be diagnosed too late," Goodwyn said. "Diabetes is one of those silent killers."
It's the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.
W. Terry Smith is editor of The Daily Southerner.
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Come meet Ashley Woolard Saturday
The First Congressional District is ready for a change. A change in leadership, a change in priorities, and a change in attitudes.
The last Republican to represent the First District was Walter Pool in 1883. Our stagnant advancement under the direction of the Democrats is evident that a change is needed. We need jobs and we need businesses to provide those jobs.
G. K. Butterfield is our representative in Washington. It is his duty to represent all members of his district. The people who are struggling to take care of their families, support their churches, and expect the government to represent them are ignored. How has Butterfield benefited his constituents?
He voted to destroy the best health care system in the world, and voted for a bill that he had never read that will cost the taxpayers trillions of dollars. He voted to use taxpayer money to perform abortions in the healthcare bill.
He voted for Cap and Trade that will destroy millions of jobs at a time we need them most. This bill will drive more businesses out of the country. He was appointed to the Helsinki Committee to adopt the U. N. Global standards of environmental policies.
He voted for finance reform that will further restrict businesses and make it more difficult to maintain job growth.
Butterfield is loyal to Nancy Pelosi, and she has appointed him to several important committees. One of which is the House Committee of Standards of Official Conduct. t is their job to censor fellow members for misconduct, but when Charles Rangel was examined by the committee for lying about his taxes he gave Butterfield a thousand-dollar donation and the charges went away.
Ashley Woolard is challenging Butterfield for the right to represent the First District. Mr. Woolard is optimistic that he can defeat Butterfield in November. However, he is realistic and realizes that he needs help. He needs volunteers to get his message to every eligible voter, because every vote is important, but above all he needs money. It will take a lot of money to put a Republican in Washington for the first time in 127 years.
I am sure everyone knows who Butterfield is, but how many of you know Ashley Woolard? If you haven’t met this young man, we invite you to join an Ashley Woolard for Congress meet and greet on Saturday, July 31, from 4 until 7 p.m. at the Macclesfield Community Center, N.C. 124 and Fourth Street. This will also be a chance to donate to the campaign and purchase barbequed chicken plates for dinner.
Don Harrell
Macclesfield -
She doesn’t like traps for cats
I live in Tarboro and some of my neighbors have put out traps for cats. These cats have been here since I have lived here.
We have all kinds of animals here running here and they look good here.
I am unhappy about the way people do things.
What can we do about this?
DEBBIE OWENS
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