A 'Blue Monday' to mark Diabetes Awareness Month

The Student Union Building got tangled up in blue Monday night. And, if you looked closely, you could see the Henry Hicks tower also lit to match.

To help promote November as Diabetes Awareness Month, and Monday as World Diabetes Day, the Dalhousie Diabetes Society worked with Dal and DSU staff to have the buildings lit up with blue light as a way to promote the cause and raise awareness. Lighting a landmark blue on behalf of Diabetes Awareness Month is a common practice that many cities take part in – the CN Tower, Niagara Falls, and the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill just some of the landmarks that have been tinted blue on past World Diabetes Days.

The Dalhousie Diabetes Society led the Dal community and members of the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in a community walk on Monday, from the Student Union Building to Tupper campus and back to Wickwire field where they formed a ‘human blue circle,” blue being the international colour of diabetes and a circle representing positivity, life and health.

Raising awareness and support

Ali Eftekhar, president and co-founder of the Dalhousie Diabetes Society, has been a volunteer for the Canadian Diabetes Foundation for several years and says it’s important to raise awareness on campus and in the community as diabetes is often overlooked as a leading cause of life-threatening illnesses.

“There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to diabetes,” says Mr. Eftekhar, a third year microbiology and immunology major. “Some people think all types of diabetes are curable if you exercise and eat properly. Most people don’t know Type I diabetes is non-preventable and has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle.

“More than nine million Canadians live with diabetes or pre-diabetes,” he says. “Our objectives are to promote awareness around campus and the community, raise money for various non-profits like CDA, and create support for students.”

Mr. Eftekhar, whose younger sister has juvenile diabetes, co-founded the Dalhousie Diabetes Society last year with Siwar Arda and Zeina Asyyed. Since then, they’ve held fundraising concerts, movie nights, guest speakers and trivia night, with proceeds going to the CDA, JDRF, and similar foundations. Last year, they donated $600 and are hoping to raise more this year.

World Diabetes Day is celebrated on November 14 to mark the birthday of Canadian Sir Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, John Macleod and James Bertram Collip discovered insulin. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the discovery.