Diabetes Day: Why The Whole Family Has A Responsibility

STATEWIDE -- If you or someone in your family has diabetes you aren't alone.

In Indiana there are 738,000 people living with diabetes, and 160,000 more who don't know they have the disease, said LaShawn McIver, senior vice president of the American Diabetes Association.

That's why to month of November is dedicated to American Diabetes Month, and Nov. 14, is World Diabetes Day. The goal is to spread awareness and educate people on the disease.

McIver says the first step is knowing if you're at risk for diabetes, and taking a risk test. 

"Diabetes starts with an individual, then the family, extended family and friends," McIver said, "and we want to make sure that we stop this before it becomes an everyday reality for 84 million people living with prediabetes."

If you have prediabetes McIver encourages you to go out into the community and look for lifestyle intervention programs that can prevent or delay the disease. 

"One of the focuses of American Diabetes Month is raising awareness, and people becoming more educated about what the disease is," she said, "so they can help us break down stereotypes, correct myths and misunderstanding around the disease."

McIver encourages people to go to the American Diabetes Association's website and read stories people have shared. 

One story shared on their website is Hunter Sego's. He's a DePauw athlete who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 7-years-old, and is now living away from home and his family.

When you have diabetes, the everyday burden can be far more than managing the disease. For Hunter, diabetes impacts his entire family. Watch Hunter's #EverydayReality and share his story. https://t.co/JZ6bErDwIx pic.twitter.com/voOt2Cj5vR

— AmDiabetesIN (@AmDiabetesIN) November 6, 2018

However, that doesn't mean Sego is on his own when it comes to his diabetes. McIver says diabetes isn't just an individual's disease.

"If person is diagnosed with diabetes it becomes a family reality."

Mother 2, expecting number 3. Then add diabetes to the list. Watch Mary's #EverydayReality https://t.co/JZ6bErDwIx pic.twitter.com/1dvKmiUgAa

— AmDiabetesIN (@AmDiabetesIN) November 13, 2018

That's why she encourages families to share their stories during American Diabetes Month, and spread awareness. 

(Photo:  BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)