Roy Saunders, member of the Montego Bay Comets Athletics Club, participates in the Diabetes Walk in Montego Bay on Sunday. The walk was organised by the We Are One People Foundation in the United States in collaboration with local groups, including the Ministry of Health. - Photos by Tashieka Mair

WESTERN BUREAU:

A diaspora organisation is making steps to establish an association in the western Jamaica parish of St James that will help raise awareness about diabetes.

The We Are One People Foundation (WAOPF), which was founded by Jamaicans living in Florida, United States, plans to collaborate with the St James Health Department in the initiative.

The diabetes association, which will be driven by volunteerism, will seek to educate residents about diabetes and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Did not want to wait

WAOPF was joined on Sunday by members of the Montego Bay Comets Athletics Club, the Lions Club and the St James Health Department as they hosted a diabetes walk, which acted as a springboard for plans.

Jonathan Brown, one of the founding members of WAOPF, said that despite World Diabetes Week being celebrated in November, he did not want to wait to kick-start the initiative.

The group walked from the Old Hospital Park on Gloucester Avenue in Montego Bay to the intersection of Catherine Hall and Howard Cooke Boulevard.

"We wanted to help educate people about diabetes, to let them know that it's not only hereditary, but it's also a lifestyle disease," said Brown.

Damage

"We wanted to get this drive started because we've had experiences with the disease, and we wanted people to know about it because some people have diabetes and only find out about it when it causes damage."

Brown also told The Gleaner that plans were in the pipeline for fund-raisers that would serve to support the education drive and buy machines needed for testing and treatment of the disease. He also hopes to form partnerships with a range of stakeholders to make his dream a reality.

Regional nutritionist at the Ministry of Health, Yvonne Davis, expressed gratitude for the thrust, noting that there was a rise in the number of persons who have had to undergo diabetes-related amputation.

Sponsors of the Diabetes Walk included the Jamaica Tourist Board, Air Jamaica and The Gleaner.

tashieka.mair@gleanerjm.com

Leneta Brown (centre) shares her experience of living with diabetes with her husband, Jonathan, and Yvonne Davis, regional nutritionist at the Body, Soul, Spirit, Therapeutic and Wellness Centre, as they prepare for the diabetes walk from the Old Hospital Park on Gloucester Avenue to Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, on Sunday. The Browns, who now live in the United States, are founding members of the We Are One People Foundation.