anonymous, Uganda
It was back in 2010 when we as a family were ambushed by diabetes. That fateful day as I was called from school, only to find out my dad was rushed to hospital due to diabetes. Being a "science" student I searched to answer the question why? and that's when I found out about the risk factors and those symptoms we all took for granted (increased urination, thirst among others). Because my dad is a hard working man who neither drinks alcohol nor smokes the question still lingered in my mind. As for the family, this was a surprise and everyone was perplexed on the do's and dont's. I'm very grateful for the health workers and my dad for his commitment to managing diabetes. Because of this experience I joined the Federation of Uganda Medical Students Association (FUMSA) and founded the Prevention and Early Diagnosis of NCDs (PEDON) Project together with colleagues from IMCC Denmark. Together have been able to reach more than 5000 youth in secondary schools all over Uganda. During our ongoing partnership project we are looking to engage youth as key NCD Advocates. I know we can prevent this, however we need a collective effort. My goal is to educate all youth especially those those in socially neglected societies so as to influence behavioural change. I can't go with out thanking all team players from IMCC Denmark and FUMSA all over the country. (Gulu, Mbarara, Mbale and Kampala) for the GREAT WORK. #beatNCDs