Despite India being the capital of the ailment there is no need to panic. DNA talks to people who juggle daily activities on World Diabetes Day.
Case study
The condition didn’t affect
I was diagnosed as a diabetic in June 1993, when I was 12 years old. That time it didn’t make much difference, as I was not able to comprehend what exactly was happening to me. All I knew that I wasn’t allowed to eat sweets and had to take three injections daily. My family was disturbed but some how they managed to cope up. The turning point was in 1995 when I was introduced to Juvenile Diabetic Foundation (JDF) headed by Dr VS Ajgaonkar. There were many others who had diabetes and they had no qualms about taking insulin. Today, with the support of my family and JDF, I’m managing my career successfully, I enjoy travelling across the world and yet handle my condition.
—Milind Majithia
Need changes in lifestyle
The common misconceptions that people have are that if they haven’t fallen ill and they consume their meals on time and if their sugar levels are normal, they can’t get diabetes. It’s a known fact that India is the capital of diabetes, especially the Type 2. As diabetes is a heredity disease, people whose parents have diabetes need to go for regular check ups. Recently children in the age group of 12 - 20 have contracted type-2 diabetes. Also, this is different from juvenile diabetes. It attacks children who are addicted to computers and junk food and don’t have any motivation to exercise. They will tend to have many complications in the long run. So it’s simple as a lifestyle modification for these children.
—Dr. Phulrenu Chauhan, consultant endocrinologist
My lifestyle has become more disciplined
Since childhood, I have been passionate about acting. I have been performing as an actor in theatre, television and movies too. I have diabetes since 1997. But that doesn’t act as a deterrent. I’m still passionate about acting and never feel any lack of stamina. Life continues as normal. Also, being a foodie by nature, I enjoy eating everything. Due to diabetes, I control my eating habits. I follow a regular time table and exercise regularly which keeps me fit and helps maintain the sugar level.
—Harish Patel, actor
I avoid junk food and aerated drinks
My day starts early morning and ends late night. Being a journalist, everyday I have to visit many film sets. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes. At that moment, I wasworried and thought my career would be affected. But I realised that one just needs to be organised and follow a proper food consumption pattern with medicines. The only thing I do, is that I control my diet during outings. I avoid consuming junk food and aerated drinks, go for a walk everyday and visit my doctor for regular check ups.
—Jyothi Venkatesh, film journalist
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