Don't Call Them Diabetics

But that doesn't mean I'm unwilling to learn; it just means I maybe need to do a little less talking and a little more listening. We could all probably stand to do that every once in a while. As wonderful as the First Amendment is, it sometimes hinders our ability to just observe and listen to other people who actually do, in fact, know what they're talking about.

One of the many things I didn't understand until I started listening was diabetes. I knew it was a disease that affected a lot of people, but I also knew it was a disease I didn't have. Therefore, I never took the time to properly acknowledge the impact it has on the nearly 300 million people worldwide who live with it day in and day out.

Part of my job as a healthcare writer is talking to patients, some of whom have diabetes, and the more I got to know them as a person, the less I defined them by their disease.

In other words, I went into the interview to talk to John, the guy with diabetes, and left the interview knowing John, the husband, father and Vietnam veteran. Having diabetes is just one of the many obstacles John's had to overcome in his life, so why define him by a disease when he has so many other good attributes to be known for?

Referring to people with diabetes as "diabetics" is a common mistake most of us make until we realize how cold and foolish it sounds. They are people living with a disease; they are not the disease itself.

So starting this month, which is American Diabetes Month, take the word "diabetic" out of your vocabulary. You'll be a little less ignorant without it.

And that's always a good thing, right?

On a similar note: Will Cross, the first American with diabetes to reach the summit of Mount Everest, will be speaking at HealthPoint -- Cape on Monday, Dec. 7 from 3 to 4 p.m. This is a free program. To RSVP, call the Diabetes Center at (573) 339-0121.

Read more about Cross here: http://www.everestspeakersbureau.com/wil...