When you see the check-mark-y swoosh, you think Nike, right? An apple gets you the computer company, golden arches make you think of cheesburgers, a peacock will have you thinking Must See TV, a red cross... you get the picture.

And when it comes to health there are several very recognizable symbols of support, perhaps the most popular is the pink ribbon for breast cancer. I was doing some research today on breast cancer and realized that the pink ribbon is quite possibly the only symbol synonymous with only one health condition. Even the red ribbon went from AIDS to a host of other causes.

You see a pink ribbon you instantly think breast cancer; you see a red, green or yellow ribbon and you have to do some thinking or asking. While many diabetes organizations and associations have their own symbols, there is not one that is universal for diabetes.

What I'm getting at is this: We need a symbol, people. We need something that we can wear, promote and exploit until the world takes more notice of diabetes. We need to raise our voices in ways other than writing members of Congress and blogging and talking and screaming. These are all great ways to be heard, but we need to do more. We need a permanent symbol that people will take notice of, something that can't be deleted.

We need a pink ribbon.

If we're going to get more people educated about diabetes, more dollars donated and spent on research, stereotypes and myths debunked, and insurance companies to understand the benefits of preventative care then we need to do more.

So I'm calling on all people affected by diabetes and all artists and thinkers reading this to design a symbol unique to the diabetes community. Something we can turn into charm bracelets, stamps, bumper stickers, buttons and whatever else will get us even more attention.