Diabetes (糖尿病)

One of the many words that is written the same in Chinese and Japanese, it's pronounced differently in Japanese, as "Tounyoubyou."

I've never known much about diabetes, even though it's a very common disease in America and the world; my mother has it and has to take blood measurements before and after meals, in between between, pretty much all the time, it seems. Seems like a pretty difficult process too, having to prick her finger every once in a while and draw blood to take the measurement. My mom says she contracted diabetes while having my sister (she was 40 when my sister was born) and that may be true; it's much harder to recover as one gets older. Ron Santo, a childhood hero because I listened to Chicago Cubs radio broadcasts all the time, contracted diabetes and eventually lost his fight to the disease, which impacted me more than I thought becasue Santo was such a likable guy and just wanted the Cubbies to win.

I count my blessings every day that I don't have diabetes (yet; diabetes is genetic so I'm definitely at risk) ; I assume I don't have it because I donated blood 3 times last year and they probably would have told me if I had it (maybe a bad assumption to make?) I recently was made to worry about it though, after someone mentioned that I should check to make sure I don't have it due to my "dumpling diet." It's a good warning, though, as I had always assumed naively that diabetes is caused by having too much sugar, limited to sweets, colas, etc. Turns out, having too many carbohydrates can cause diabetes as well (the carbs convert into sugar). Man, so many things to watch out for in this world. Symptoms seem to include frequent bouts of peeing (I sometimes experience this, although I  don't know if it's caused by the weather or what). Diabetes also has a lot to do with living a sedentary lifestyle and not exercising enough, which I try to avoid by running every day.

I'm often reminded that being young is such a privileged life: bodies are functioning properly, physical features are the best, mind is fresh and can still learn things. I am terrified of getting old, for many reasons but add "easier to get diabetes and many other diseases" to that list. One day, I won't be able to get away with my diet, my lazy lifestyle, and my body wont' be able to fend off almost any and every disease that comes my way. One day, I'll get something terrifying like diabetes. But until that day comes, I'll have to enjoy my life, and also watch out for things that might cause diabetes, as well as learn more about the disease and how it affects the lives of everyday people.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan