A message from Kathy Riyazi, MD, Population Health Data & Reporting Manager, FNHA Office of the Chief Medical Officer; and Tessie Harris, Diabetes Educator, FNHA Office of the Chief Nursing Officer
For this year's Diabetes Awareness Month, we are sharing the wisdom and advice of First Nations people who are living well with Type 2 diabetes. This week we are sharing Mike Alexander's story, who is from Swan Lake First Nation and now lives in Vancouver, BC.
We are grateful to them for being open and willing to share their experiences in order to help others. We trust that those of you who have diabetes will find something useful in their stories that will help you as you navigate living well with diabetes!
Mike Alexander serves as Vice-Chair of the National Indigenous Diabetes Association, and as an advisory member of the Diabetes Action Canada Circle.
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes eight years ago. I'm angered to live with it as I see it as an extension of colonial policy regarding Indigenous people. Having said that, I don't see myself as a victim but rather as a person with a unique set of health circumstances who, like many people, must make informed choices about how I want to live my life.
I have observed that people are reluctant to discuss diabetes because there is a social stigma to doing so. People think I feel bad about my disease and rely too heavily on paternalistic attitudes under the assumption that I'm incapable of managing. This isn't helpful in creating dialogue.
Also, we live in a society that wholeheartedly embraces sugar and ultra-processed food. It's a destructive agenda, and it creates distorted relationships with nutrition.
There are many things that I find help me manage living with diabetes. Endurance sport is one of them. Competing in Triathlons has been an effective way to become comfortable with physical pain/discomfort. This has also helped me with the emotional pain of clinical depression, which I also live with. When I feel better about myself physically and emotionally, I have a positive mental attitude about pushing beyond my limits and working towards big goals. Applying this way of thinking towards diabetes has allowed me to manage it without medication. From a cultural standpoint, I think it balances me out so that I can embrace my gifts as a storyteller and artist. All of these things are part of what makes me a whole and balanced person.
I believe we need to celebrate our athletes, who are all champions for diabetes prevention – movement is medicine. Events such as the Indigenous Games need a larger profile so our communities can learn about these young people and have good role models for health and wellness.
We can't look at tomorrow with discouragement. We have today to make choices for ourselves, and that's all we can do. Nothing worthwhile happens overnight, so focus on what we can accomplish today.
Diabetes is a journey, and we can accomplish incredible things over time if we keep making small steps every day.
You can read more diabetes wellness champions' stories at the links below:
Education is the key to Elder Margaretta James' diabetes wellness journey
Finding balance: Lucy's Journey with Diabetes
While everyone's diabetes wellness journey can look different, by sharing our successes and learnings we can support each other. Remember that you are not alone, and that there is help and support for you to live your best life!
To learn more about diabetes, please visit our diabetes webpage.
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