I have to be honest in that I had no clue that there was a Diabetes Alert Day until hearing about it over the weekend. So for 20 years (18 in which I actually had diabetes) the American Diabetes Association has made this a day to alert people about the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Now it all makes sense. It is about type 2 and I am a type 1.

I do recognize that the diabetes epidemic is truly a type 2 issue but all of us are affected and now people that type 2 diabetes affects. This day should matter and be on the minds of everyone. I will say that for many years, just hearing "type 2" instantly made me check out of the conversation.

Please hear me out and do not peg me as a "hater" of type 2's. That is not the case. I remember after being diagnosed and attending a class on diabetes. I was the youngest person in the room and pretty much everything the instructor would say she would look to me and say, "This really doesn't apply to you George." How well would you have done in school if during the entire lesson your teacher said, "Don't worry about this. It doesn't matter to you?"

Now that I am older I see that both types of diabetes need attention. Both are scary and both end with the most awful complications around. We should all speak up about it and not be afraid to educate when ever we can.

So please make sure no matter what type of diabetes you have or even if you do not have diabetes at all, that you spend some time letting others know the symptoms of diabetes and alert them to the risks.

You just may save a life or some toes!