Advocacy n. active support, esp. of a cause.
Advocate
- vb. to support or recommend publicly; plead for or speak in favour of;
- n. a person who upholds or defends a cause;
What is our cause here?
At PeoplewithDiabetes.ca, what we're up to with advocacy is an inspired vision, much bigger than any single issue facing our community right now.
We want to live in a country where people with diabetes can live their best lives, with access to the right tools, medication, and education they need to be healthy - until there's a cure.
This is a movement where each of us takes responsibility for our health, our choices, and uses our voice to raise the level of conversation and understanding about diabetes.
We are a community over 2 million strong in Canada, and yet the lack of understanding about diabetes in the general public is astonishing. Old myths persist, and as a result we have not been taken seriously and our health condition has been down-played as 'not such a big deal'. Anyone who lives with diabetes knows that that is not the case, the complications are devastating, and it is up to each of us to speak up and participate - to educate our families, our coworkers, our neighbors, our schools, our friends, and our government officials about the seriousness of diabetes - and what it takes to manage it properly.
Until and unless we speak up, nothing will change. We cannot sit back and point the finger elsewhere if 'the system' is not working. We are out to cause a shift in how diabetes is viewed in this country, to ensure that every person with diabetes in Canada gets access to the treatment that works for them, and to lead the way in halting the upward trend of Type II diabetes.
Clearly, there are many elements and players involved, but it all begins with you. Your voice counts. Your voice matters.
This section of the website is intended to provide information on some of the current issues facing our diabetes community in Canada, and to give you an opportunity to get involved. Whatever that looks like for you, the point is to PARTICIPATE!
We're all in this together!
