Resident awarded for surviving diabetes for 55 years

Dr Carl Erasmus was recently awarded a medal for surviving Type 2 diabetes for 55 years at NHC Health Centre Northcliff.

Dr Erasmus was diagnosed with this killer disease at age 23.

“I had no idea that I had diabetes when I was diagnosed. It was difficult because I had just graduated with my first BSc degree,” he said.

To cope with the disease, he said he lives his life as normal as possible.

“I continued with my education, exercise with my dogs, eat well and live a normal life,” he said.

Dietician Wendy Lord shared a presentation on the day.

“A diabetic has to be comfortable. You should meet with other people who are living with diabetes; share your concerns and tips for managing your diabetes, motivate others with diabetes to achieve optimal blood sugar control and be motivated by others; learn more about diabetes from a registered dietician and empower yourselves with knowledge to live a long, healthy life,” she said.

According to Lord, everyone should eat balanced meals that include energy foods (carbohydrates and fats), protective foods (fruit and vegetables) and body building foods (protein foods and dairy products).

According to Sister Nicky Williams of NHC Health Centre Northcliff, there are two main forms of diabetes. Type 1 is marked by a lack of insulin production in the body, while Type 2 is the result of the body’s ineffective use of insulin.

Type 2 diabetes is much more common than Type 1, accounting for roughly 90 per cent of all diabetes cases around the globe.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is also a third type of diabetes called gestational diabetes. This form of the disease is marked by hyperglycemia – raised blood sugar – which is first recognised during pregnancy.

The total number of deaths from diabetes is expected to increase by more than 50 per cent in the next 10 years. In particular, fatalities are predicted to climb by over 80 per cent in upper-middle income countries, according to the WHO.