When I was 11, I became very sick with a flu virus, my mom thought that medicine and rest would help. I kept getting worse, drinking water every second I got, throwing up, barely being able to walk and there was this awful pain going down my entire side starting at my neck. My mom decided that we should go to the walk-in clinic and when we did I was passing out and waking back up, I could barely walk, or talk and the doctor took one look at me and said I needed to go to the ER.
Melvin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just 5 years old. He hopes to help educate people about the complications of diabetes and inform people about what can happen when diabetes is not properly managed.
Melvin lives with Type 1 diabetes and resides in Cassopolis, Michigan. He is a travel agent and in his free time enjoys yoga, traveling, hiking, and cooking.
Joe lives in West Allis, Wisconsin. He finds purpose in playing acoustic guitar (since age 8), biking, long distance walking, and working for the Department of Workforce Development.
Jenna lives in Beverly Hills, Florida. She finds purpose by sharing her experience living with diabetes on TikTok.
Niketa lives a busy life as an actress, acting coach and producer, but she still finds time to stay involved with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and advocate for the diabetes community. This is her story:
Did you know that here in Maryland an estimated 481,290 people, or 10% of the population, now have diabetes. Of these, 139,000 of them have diabetes and simply do not know it. In addition, 1,600,000 people in Maryland or a staggering 33.7% of the population, have prediabetes. It is our mission to educate those living with diabetes and prediabetes as well as to prevent more people from getting diabetes.
People in Michigan are increasingly feeling the effects of diabetes as more than 964,000 residents have diabetes and many others may have diabetes and not know it! It is estimated that one out of every three children born after 2000 in the United States will be directly affected by diabetes.
That is why the American Diabetes Association's Michigan office is so committed to educating the public about how to stop diabetes and support those living with the disease.
We are here to help!
With your support, the American Diabetes Association® can continue our lifesaving work to make breakthroughs in research and provide people with the resources they need to fight diabetes.