Salutations Everyone,

I'd like to re-introduce myself. My name is Yogi, and I am so happy to be apart of the 1happydiabetic family. Bill (founder of 1happydiabetic), Mike, Ryan, Suzanne, and myself, are working on some really cool ideas for the site. We will keep you posted!! For my first blog post, I would like to talk about the importance of good diabetic support system (which fits with the overall mission of not just 1happydiabetic, but many diabetic bloggers around the world who are donating their time to help others). Today, there are more than 350+ million people around the globe that have diabetes. Ten percent of those are type 1 (thats 35-45 million). Althought type 2 still makes up for the majority of diabetes cases, 45 million type 1 people around the world is nothing to sneeze at; yet, it appears that very few of us have support groups (personal or professional). Why is this??

I can tell you from first hand experience, support groups are extremely important. Not just for the newly diagnosed, but for veteran diabetics as well. Diabetes isn't always easy. Sometimes we have to endure mean comments from people who will never understand; sometimes you just want to hear from someone who's gone through the same thing; sometimes we need pep talks; sometimes you just want to be around other diabetics that keep you motivated.

You are not alone. There is no need to keep your diabetes inside, or even to keep it a secret. Let our experiences become someone else's lesson. Diabetes isn't just a condition, it's a way of life, a way of thinking, a way of reconnecting with self, away to confront our subconscious; emotional cleansing, a permenent lifestyle change. All of these various stages in our lives, requires support on some level. Diabetes is unlike any other disease. You can't just take a pill, or even insulin once a day, and "forget about it". Diabetes is the only disease were it requires you to be focused 24/7, and the only way to stay focused, is to truly love yourself, love your body, and love life. There really isn't a such thing as a "vacation" for any diabetic.

Yogi