Nine out of 10 people living with diabetes experience stigma, according to data from Diabetes Canada. Laura Syron, president and CEO of the organization, said she has experienced that shame and blame firsthand. Syron was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 10 years ago and said she knew very little about the condition. “I would say the first stigma was self-stigma,” Syron said. “I thought, ‘Oh, I didn’t exercise enough, I didn’t eat well,’ that somehow I brought it on myself … So, for me, I was already starting from a place of shame and blame. And then when I started to try to tell my family, but particularly my friends, I didn’t always have the best reaction.” Syron said one of the first negative experiences was when she shared the news with a good friend. “He said, ‘the genetic one or the one you give yourself?’” she said. Many misconceptions “And I sat there at this lunch, and I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t give it to myself, but I didn’t have a good answer … But what I did know is, OK, I wasn’t sharing that very much again, because that did not feel good.” Syron’s experience is not unusual. Diabetes Canada conducted research into stigma and the condition, finding that most people living with the condition have experienced a form of shame. “Our surveys show that up to 90 per cent of people who live with Type 1 have experienced some kind of shame or blame around their diabetes and almost 70 per cent of people with Type 2,” she said. “So, stigma can be very real and it can take many different forms.” This is why the theme for Diabetes Awareness Month is ‘Stop the Stigma.’ Syron said some people are misinformed and don’t understand what diabetes is. “We know from other survey data that almost half of Canadians think you get diabetes by eating too much sugar,” she said. “These are just facts that are not true.” Diabetes affects 3.9M Canadians Public Health Agency of Canada says 3.9 million Canadians live with diabetes. Thousands experience gestational diabetes, which occurs in roughly 11 per cent of hospital patients. In northern Ontario, it’s more common for individuals to be diagnosed with diabetes, according to Health Sciences North. “In northern Ontario, we have a higher prevalence of diabetes cases -- actually three to five times higher than the provincial average, being 31 per cent in Ontario,” said Valerie Champion, nurse practitioner at HSN. Champion said there are a number of reasons. “There’s a higher increase in other comorbidities,” she said. Sudbury diabetes programs “Also increased use of cigarette smoking, alcohol, other comorbidities like high blood pressure, high cholesterol that can contribute to that, in addition to lifestyle.” Champion said HSN recently hired two endocrinologists, bringing the total at the hospital to three. There are also three diabetes programs offered at HSN. “The pediatric diabetes program, the adult education program, as well as the complex diabetes care program,” she said. “In the last year, we had over 18,000 visits in those programs. And we offer the opportunity to patients, whether that be in-person appointments, virtual telephone, some one-on-one, as well as group appointments, as well.” Syron said the best way to reduce stigma is to ask how you can help. “I think everyone’s answer is going to be different because diabetes is not one size fits all,” she said. “If they’re older, if they’re younger, what does that mean … So, I think a simple question is, how can I support?” She said Diabetes Canada recently developed a number of resources to help families and friends who know someone with diabetes.
