I recently lost a good friend due to complications from diabetes and while we all think that diabetes isn’t something that we’ll ever have to worry about when it comes to our personal health, the sobering reality is that there’s a good chance we will.

According to the Diabetes Research Institute, “29.1 million people, or 9.3% of the U.S. population, have diabetes, including 8.1 million people who have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed.”

If you have a history of diabetes in your family, or if you’ve been told that you’re at risk of developing it, wouldn’t you rather get a handle on this awful disease now before it blows up into something major?

If you think that the worst thing about diabetes is having to take medication, or insulin, think again. In addition to my friend who just passed away from complications of the disease, another friend recently lost his foot due, in part, to the disease. Diabetes isn’t something to mess around with.

Lourdes Hospital will be hosting a Diabetes Education Fair on Tuesday, March 21st in the Lecture Hall at the hospital on Riverside Drive in Binghamton between 11am and 2pm.

At the Lourdes Diabetes Education Fair, you’ll have a chance to learn about the different types of medicines used to help control the disease, as well as recent advances in technology. There will be vendors, and demonstrations as well as displays with information about the latest diabetes-related products, and of course, medical professionals who will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have and lead you in the right direction if you find that you need more in-depth health.

You don’t need to be present for the whole three hours of the Diabetes Education Fair, but if you’d like to stop in, reservations are requested and you can call 607-772-6269 to learn more.

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