World Diabetes Day

On December 20, 2006, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 61/225, which designated that every subsequent November 14 would be World Diabetes Day. The resolution recognized that diabetes is a global epidemic and urged all member nations to adopt policies to help prevent diabetes and to improve existing treatment. Of course, we don’t just recognize diabetes on November 14 – every day it affects our lives and the lives of those we love – but World Diabetes Day gives the diabetes community the opportunity to draw attention to this global threat. A particularly visible way that we celebrate is the World Diabetes Day Monument Challenge: landmarks and monuments around the world are illuminated in blue, the color of the International Diabetes Federation’s diabetes symbol. Last year in San Francisco (where we’re based), diaTribe and the American Diabetes Association successfully lobbied to have our city hall lit in beautiful blue lights on the night of November 14 (see our picture)! In total, an amazing 1,108 buildings were lit worldwide, from Canada to Cuba to Kazakhstan. It was a truly overwhelming show of international solidarity that this is a fight we can’t afford to ignore. This year, there are several hundred confirmed monuments already. Here in San Francisco, Johnson and Johnson as well as the JDRF have sponsored lighting the Embarcadero Ferry Building (home of diaTribe’s offices)! We’re very excited, and we will post pictures of the blue Ferry Building after the event.