Scott Hanselman is twittering all day today about his daily battle with diabetes. What most people don't realize is that Diabetes affects nearly 10% of all Americans. Untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, kidney damage, and sometimes even death (it was the 6th leading cause of death in 1999 and 2000 – Source: CDC).
While I do not have diabetes, I am aware of the epidemic that diabetes is becoming. A couple years ago, I wrote some software for a startup company that focused on food portion control and sugar/starch counting for individuals with diabetes. I was able to meet a bunch of folks with diabetes and hear how it affected their everyday lives. To see the daily impact that it has, I highly recommend following Scott's twittering today.
For more information about diabetes, how to handle it if you got it, and how you can volunteer and help support diabetes research, check out the American Diabetes Association website.