Enjoying a long and healthy life in freedom is not self-evident. Because every week more than 1,000 people are told that they have diabetes. Anyone can get it, regardless of age, lifestyle or background. And that needs to change, says the Diabetes Fund. The fund is committed to preventing and curing diabetes. And to draw more attention to this, the broadcast of Time for MAX on March 22, 2023 all about diabetes.
Diabetes is not ‘living well’
It is one of the greatest health robbers of our time. In the Netherlands, more than 1.2 million people have diabetes. And this number continues to grow. Diabetes is not ‘living well’, as is sometimes thought. On the contrary: it is often the beginning of all kinds of health problems. The disease has a huge impact on the daily way of life. Whether it is type 1 or type 2, there is always an increased risk of serious complications such as damage to the eyes and nerves, sometimes resulting in blindness or amputation.
In Time for MAX the stories of Rafi and Lucas
In Time for MAX the story of Rafi (8 years old), he has type 1 diabetes. Ever since he was diagnosed with diabetes, his life has been dominated by the disease day and night. Father Murat: “In 15 or 30 years his heart and blood vessels, nervous system, eyes, kidneys and feet may have sustained permanent damage. His life expectancy is lower than ours. That destroys me emotionally.” The story of Lucas (4 years old) and his parents is also told. More than a year and a half ago, Lucas became very ill. After a visit to the doctor, they are told that he has diabetes. Their lives come at an express train speed, which the parents and Lucas have to keep up with. Unfortunately, the train still hasn’t come to a stop.
Pioneering therapy
Internist and researcher Prof. Dr. Eelco de Koning is also a guest in the broadcast. Together with the Diabetes Fund, the fund does a lot research, he fights for a life free of diabetes. In a large collaboration, he is working hard on a new therapy, namely the development of insulin-producing cells and good packaging for these cells.
With this groundbreaking therapy, the body will again produce insulin itself. This would mean that people are no longer in the grip of the disease and are free from diabetes. prof. Dr. Eelco de Koning: “If you had asked me 5 years ago: would you be able to achieve this now? I would have said: I would like to, but I have no idea whether that would work.”
Further guest
In addition to the stories of Lucas and Rafi and Prof. Dr. Eelco de Koning, guests include science journalist Diederik Jekel and director of the Diabetes Fund Diena Halbertsma. Tineke Schouten performs.
About the Diabetes Fund
It Diabetes Fonds is committed to preventing diabetes, curing this disease in the future and improving the quality of life of people with the disease. So that they can live without daily worries and the fear of complications and thus give people with diabetes back their freedom. For 40 years, the fund has made research possible and is committed to helping everyone to live a healthier life, thanks to the efforts of donors and volunteers. As a result, important breakthroughs have been made, which means that the treatment of the disease is getting better and better. The fund works every day with conviction and optimism for a future in which generation after generation can live diabetes-free.
Everyone free of diabetes, that’s what the Diabetes Fund fights for. They invest in research, information and practical solutions. They can’t do that without your support. Will you help? Call 0800-1130 (free) or word donor via website.
Time for MAX can be seen on March 22, 2023 at 5:10 p.m. on NPO 1.
This broadcast is made possible in part by the Diabetes Fund.
(Photo: Lucas and his mother © Diabetes Fund)
