We invite blurbs and tidbit articles for inclusion in this column. Materials
received may be edited and used as space permits. Products and services included
in this column are for information only and do not imply endorsement by the
Diabetes Action Network of the NFB.
On March 21, 2001, Federationists Tom and Eileen Rivera Ley became parents. Tom is a former president of our Diabetes Action Network, and Eileen is our VOICE OF THE DIABETIC National Advertising Sales Manager. JonCarlos Rivera Ley was 21.5 inches at birth, and weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Congratulations to all!
We're all waiting for the day an insulin-using diabetic can take a dose without
needing to inject their insulin under the skin. Nobody loves needles, and many
initiatives are underway to develop an insulin that can be swallowed or inhaled.
Although Pfizer's Exubera insulin, formulated to be inhaled (much like an asthma medication), has run into some difficulties, several oral insulins are moving forward. Oralin, from Generex, and compounds from Emisphere Technologies are both reported as successful in early clinicals. It's a long way to go yet, but the syringe's days may well be numbered.
Pfizer's Exubera inhalable insulin has been in clinicals, and the company was intending to file for FDA approval later this year. That is now on hold. Exubera, intended for use with devices manufactured by Inhale Therapeutics, works, it lowers blood sugars efficiently and consistently—but it has shown some side effects, like a 4x increase in antibodies against insulin, and one case of lung scarring. Accordingly, Pfizer has announced it will delay filing its marketing approval application, and try to solve these problems first.
To hold down costs, both the VOICE and many of our divisional mailings are sent via “bulk mail.” When we have your current address, this works very well; but when we don't, the Post Office throws it away, or returns it to us with a hefty “postage due” attached. They do NOT automatically forward bulk mail!
If you move, please let us know promptly. If the VOICE doesn't follow you to your new address, we may not have your new address. Don't miss a single issue.
On July 14, 2001, Eric Woods, our Diabetes Action Network's First Vice President, who is also Second Vice President of the NFB of Colorado Denver Chapter, married fellow Federationist Lori Willard. Congratulations to Eric, and to the new Mrs. Lori Woods!
We already know that eating too much fat can increase your risk for diabetes
and its complications. A new study, appearing in the September issue of Archives
of Ophthalmology, warns that dietary fat can also lead to age-related macular
degeneration, the biggest producer of new blindness in Americans 65 years of
age and older. A multicenter study, led by Johanna Seddon, MD, from Harvard
Medical School, found that excess dietary fat builds up in capillaries, and
can cause vision loss. She describes the study's findings as suggesting that
a long-term high-fat diet can cause a two-fold increase in the risk of macular
degeneration. The time to change junk-food eating habits is now, study authors
warn. “Macular degeneration is a 30-40 year process; dietary and lifestyle
changes have to be made at an early age.”
At the keynote banquet for the 2001 annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the winning ticket was drawn in the Diabetes Action Network raffle. Winning ticketholder was Ken Staley, of Chicago, Illinois, who won twice, because he also sold the most raffle tickets.
Lots of people helped sell tickets, and the following folks each sold 50 or more. In descending order of tickets sold: Ken Staley; Debbie Weston, Brighton, MI; John Stroot, of Clinton, IN; Gisela Distel, of Albany, NY; Karen Mayry, from Rapid City, SD; Billie Weaver, of Springfield, MO; Ed Bryant, from Columbia, MO; Sally York, from Castro Valley, CA; Bill Yates, of Bakersfield, CA; and Wayne Lyons, from Mitchell, SD. Truly a winning performance—See you next time!
Novo Nordisk announces availability of its new Novolog rapid-acting insulin. Faster than Regular insulin, Novolog is available in U100 vials, and in cartridges for the NovoPen 3. Available at your pharmacist, by prescription only.
This year, at our National Federation of the Blind annual convention in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, NFB president Dr. Marc Maurer gave the banquet address, titled
“Independence and the
Necessity for Diplomacy.” This address is available, free of charge,
in large print or audiocassette. This speech, and others by President
Maurer and Dr. Jernigan (and much more!), are available from the National Federation
of the Blind Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone:
(410) 659-9314, open 8:00 to 5 pm. EST, weekdays.
At this year's NFB national convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, elections were held for the 2001-2002 Diabetes Action Network Board. Here are the results:
President: Ed Bryant, Columbia, MO.
First Vice President: Eric Woods, Denver, CO
Second Vice President: Sandie Addy, Prescott Valley, AZ
Secretary: Dawnelle Cruze, Portsmouth, VA
Treasurer: Bruce Peters, Akron, OH
Board Members: Paul Price, Valley Center, CA, and Sally York, Castro Valley, CA
Note: Gisela Distel, from Albany, NY, also won election to our
board, but, sadly, she died on August 3 (see accompanying article).
We congratulate our new board!
On August 3, 2001, Gisela Distel, a member of our Diabetes Action Network National Board, died of a heart attack. She was a friend, and she will be missed. She did a lot for our network, and for the National Federation of the Blind. She'd been president of the NFB of New York state, and she'd held many other leadership positions. Caring and devoted, she was always willing to help, especially with fundraising.
Gisela's husband David asks that any memorial donations in her name be given to diabetes research.
The ability of aspirin, in large doses, to lower blood sugars, has been known for more than a century. Unfortunately, it has been known just as long that the dose of aspirin high enough to cause useful blood glucose reduction is far above the safety threshold, and can cause very serious side effects.
Today, researchers from Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston are researching just
what it is about aspirin, and about its chemical class, the salycilates, that
enables it to have blood glucose lowering properties. It may someday be possible
to isolate the elements useful to diabetes treatment, and create new drugs free
from the hazards of aspirin overdose. Stay tuned; there are many such initiatives
underway, and we'll report them as we hear of them.
To all of you who responded to our recent donations drive, an enormous THANK YOU! It costs more than $300,000 per year to publish VOICE OF THE DIABETIC, the principal communication tool of our Diabetes Action Network. Through the generosity of the National Federation of the Blind, we offer subscriptions without charge; but our advertising income covers only a portion of production costs, so we depend on YOU, our readers, to help us keep on carrying our message to more diabetics, family members, health professionals, and individuals with an interest in the condition. As our circulation has now grown beyond 295,000, our need for your assistance grows more acute. Twice a year we send out requests for donations. To those of you who responded—Thank You again!
If you have diabetes, are a family member or friend of a diabetic, or a health professional with an interest in diabetes, we invite you to submit an article for publication in the VOICE OF THE DIABETIC.
Our philosophy regarding diabetes is positive. Do you have an inspiring, enlightening story? We, the Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation of the Blind, seek to show people they are not alone, and do have options, regardless of diabetic complications. If you have experienced ramifications, others, who may be facing the same side-effects, could benefit from what you have to say.
Perhaps you have not experienced complications—your unique insight, coping strategies, and lifestyle can still inspire others. Are you a relative, a friend, or a health professional? More than 295,315 VOICE readers could benefit from your story.
For information and article submission guidelines, contact:
VOICE OF THE DIABETIC, 1412 I-70 Drive, Suite C, Columbia, MO 65203; telephone:
(573) 875-8911.