By Caitlin Brezinski

Diabetes awareness month kicks off with campaign

Nov 3, 2014 | 10:26 AM

Nov. 1 marks the first day of Diabetes Awareness month.  To kick off the month, the Prince Albert Pharmasave, along with others across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, are participating in the Blue Circle campaign.

Blue circles, the universal symbol for diabetes, will be sold for the entire month for $2 to raise money to support the Canadian Diabetes Association’s D- Camps, which allows children with Diabetes go to camp.

“[They can] have the same camp experiences as anybody else,” said Mavis Willis, assistant manager of the Prince Albert Pharmasave. “They have doctors, nurses and special dieticians at their camps, so that it helps them do it.” 

Willis said four years ago, they came on board as a corporate sponsor for the Diabetes association.

“The first year, we raised a little bit then after that we really got into it, raising over $1,000 last year and we want to surpass that this year,” she said. 

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As part of the kick off to the campaign Coun. Don Cody was invited to come purchase the first blue circle to be displayed on the wall.

“I certainly was pleased to take that opportunity to come because it’s a very important day,” he said.

A proclamation was given from the mayor to recognize November as Diabetes Awareness month. 

“I think it’s important that we all, city leaders, partake and are helping because if you don’t help, without that kind of thing, you can’t expect others to help,” he said.

Bree Riddoch, an employee at Pharmasave, is also the Ambassador for the Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes.  She was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of nine.

“I really want a cure because my childhood got taken away from me and I just don’t want anyone else’s to be taken away too,” she said.

She said the campaign is important to her because she wants to draw more awareness to the disease.

“I think not enough people know exactly that there is two types.  They only think there’s one and it’s just a general thing,” she said. “Type 1 is an auto-immune disease that attacks and kills your pancreas.”

Despite living with diabetes, she still keeps a positive attitude. 

“I try and not let it hold me back from anything.  Everyone has their challenges, I just have one more added on,” she said.   

Riddoch, now 17, is one of 40 people to have the opportunity to go to Ottawa on Nov. 24 and 25 to speak to the Prime Minister and senators about diabetes.

“[We’ll] explain that diabetes is important and we don’t want to live with this anymore,” she said. “It’s another thing to bring more awareness and try and get more funding so we can potentially get a cure.”

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