SUKA SUKA

The Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy theorized that "anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries."  Stanley Milgram in his experiment "The Small World Problem" showed that Karinthy was on to something.  His findings led to the now popular term "6 degrees of separation".  Unlike the Milgram's "The small World Problem" and "6 degrees of separation", Diabetes is a 'Big World Problem' and it's only a '1 degree of  separation'.

Diabetes, Diabetes mellitus, DM2, or SUKA in Tongan is a nasty non-communicable disease (NCD).  In the US alone, diabetes affects about 30 millions Americans and an additional 7 millions aren't even aware they have it.  According to Diabetes.org, it cost the US approximately 300 billion (yes, with a B) per year.  That's $1 in every $5 in healthcare dollars spent in the care of someone with diabetes in one year.  Each day,  3800 Americans will be diagnosed with Diabetes for the first time,  another 200 will undergo an amputation related to diabetes.   Another 136 Americans will start treatment for end-staged renal disease (ESRD) for the first time and it doesn't end there.  Another 1,796 will develop retinopathy which lead to vision loss and blindness.  These numbers are staggering and regrettably ever growing.

According to a study that was done in 2002 that is now published in the American Diabetic Association, the prevalence of Diabetes in Tonga is 15.1%, 80% of which are undiagnosed, a scary steep increase from 7.5% from 25 years earlier.  I do not know, or more accurately, I haven't found the dollar breakdown for diabetic care in Tonga.  However, a quick glance and compare of the aforementioned sets of statistics may cause one a brief episode of vertigo.  It sure did me.  These number suggests many things.  One of which is the safe presumption that each of us, within hug-range, knows someone or someones that is/are plagued by Suka.  They could be parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, aunties, or grandmas and grandpas.  They could be your neighbor, your favorite teacher, or your lest favorite in-laws (I love all of mine, so don't get no ideas now).  Hack, they could also be your doctor!  If there's one thing that 'mankind vs. alien invasion' movies have taught me it is always "You've got to understand them to defeat them".  So, now you know what my next few posts will be.  #BeatSuka