Lettters to the Editor – September

Posted

The Editor:

Yikes! The story of the cyclist collapsing in eart distress! I have lived on Cape Cod, Massachusetts since 1985, but as a teen living in Tsawwassen in the ’70s, I often rode my bike up the hill.

I recently helped a fellow, along with my daughter, in Ipswich, Massachusetts at the beach. It was hot, he walked onto the beach and seemed unsteady putting his gear down. My daughter took the beach chair off of his back. All he wanted was to go for his swim. That’s it.

We walked with him to the water’s edge. Exchanged names and a chuckle. We were his angels, he said. He kissed my cheek to thank me for my kindness, went in the water and without drama took a dip and then another. But then it was still. He was gone.

As I think of the fellow at the border … and the beach fellow, I think so much we all have to look out for each other.

Hoping the man from Tsawwassen will fully recover.

Kate Armstrong

Barnstable, MA

 

The Editor:

Wouldn’t you take steps to prevent a life-threatening condition, if supportive programs were easily accessible right in your community?

More than 800,000 Americans suffer from kidney failure. The top cause of kidney failure is diabetes. Without dialysis or a kidney transplant, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is fatal. In 1972, Congress extended Medicare coverage to almost all ESRD patients, regardless of age. Since then, the program has grown from 10,000 beneficiaries to more than 600,000 today, with an annual price tag of more than $50 billion. Preventative measures, obviously, would save a lot of money, in addition to many lives.

People with diabetes have a lot to juggle to manage their health care because diabetes raises the risk of other problems in addition to kidney disease, including heart attacks, strokes, nerve damage and vision loss. That may sound overwhelming, but the good news is steps you take to prevent one of those complications can help prevent them all.

While the program Common Threads Farm is not specific to diabetes prevention, it effectively combats the condition through the promotion of connecting kids to healthy food in the garden, in the kitchen and at the table – it sets kids up for a life of healthy eating. Contact Laura Plaut for information and to learn about volunteer opportunities: laura.plaut@commonthreadsfarm.org.

Most Common Threads programs take place on public school grounds, during the school day in collaboration with teachers and food service staff.

Washington State University offers a data-proven, results-oriented diabetes prevention program – participants learn simple skills to achieve diabetes prevention goals in a supportive group. To sign up for the classes, contact kate.foster@wsu.edu

As Ben Franklin advised, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” 

Micki Jackson

Bellingham

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