By Thomas Norton/reporter
Children and adults suffer from diabetes in many ways — some children become obese at an early age because of bad eating habits, stress, genetics and lack of exercise, Norton said. Adults can develop diabetes later in life because they have bad habits as well.
More people need to understand that this is a serious topic to talk about, Norton said.
Norton introduced Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to the audience. Type 1 is mainly for younger people and is inherited from their family members while Type 2 is the most common in adults because their bodies don’t use much insulin, she said.
Norton showed diagrams on how diabetes can harm a person’s body. She pointed to a picture of the various organs affected like the pancreas, liver, small and large intestine.
“I liked the speech she gave because she was funny, wasn’t boring, very energetic and incorporated real-life situations in her speech about diabetes,” NE student Ron Sparkman said. “I also like how we were given healthy Popsicles and drinks during the time of listening to Mrs. Norton’s speech.”
Gayle Hanson, historian genealogist, said the information was beneficial.
“I’m a Type 2 diabetic, and I learned things that I didn’t know about,” she said. “This diabetes speech can benefit not just me but other people who are younger than me.”
Norton will present one more lecture on diabetes. On Nov. 1, she will discuss medications, family and friends.
“I will be attending the next meeting and the other meetings after,” Sparkman said. “Although I don’t have diabetes, I think her speech provides good information for me to know about if I ever become a diabetic.”
