Diabetes walk

Want to work up a sweat about something truly worth getting exercised about? Then dig the old sneakers out of the closet, lace ’em up and get ready for the coming America’s Walk for Diabetes. Or, at the very least, dust off the checkbook.

Diabetes is reaching near-epidemic proportions in the United States. Nearly 16 million Americans, including 66,000 Mainers — one in 20 — have a disease for which there is no cure. Worse yet, one-third are undiagnosed, they don’t know they are afflicted with the No. 1 cause of blindness, lower limb amputation and kidney disease, with a leading contributor to heart disease and stroke, with the sixth leading cause of death by disease in the country. This year, more than 180,000 Americans will die from diabetes complications.

Diabetes is deadly; it also is the most expensive chronic illness this country manages, costing more than $90 billion annually. One in seven health care dollars is spent managing diabetes and treating its devastating effects, yet federal support for research, through the National Institutes of Health, continues to lag behind many other less-widespread, higher-profile diseases.

That’s why America’s Walk for Diabetes, the weekend of Oct. 3-4, is so important. It is one of the primary fund-raisers for the American Diabetes Association, an organization which, solely through contributions, picks up where the government leaves off.

Last year, Mainers chipped in more than $62,000 for the ADA, money that went to underwrite education programs for physicians, nurses and patients — crucial for a disease that can only be managed, not cured — to fund research — including a substantial amount at Maine’s own Jackson Lab — and to push for legislation — like new Maine law requiring insurance companies to cover patient education and vital supplies. That’s quite a return on investment.

Walks in Maine are planned for Bangor, Portland and either Augusta or Waterville. Call 1-800-254-WALK (9255) to find out where and when you can join in. Or call, make a pledge and write a check. Either way, the exercise will do you good.