WHEREAS, diabetes is a chronic disease in which sugar levels in the bloodstream are above normal, and more than 600,000 people in Virginia are living with some form of the disease; and, 

 WHEREAS, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, and people with diabetes have a 50% higher risk of early death than those without the disease; and, 

 WHEREAS, diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness in the United States; and, adults with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke as compared to people without diabetes and at an earlier age; and, 

WHEREAS, there are three types of diabetes including gestational diabetes, type 1, and type 2 diabetes; and, 

WHEREAS, gestational diabetes, occurring in between two and 10% of pregnancies each year, is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy in women who do not already have diabetes; and, 

WHEREAS, type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but usually develops in children, teens, and young adults and results when a person cannot produce insulin; and, 

WHEREAS, early detection of type 1 diabetes using a blood sugar test to determine if blood sugar levels are within normal range may prevent a delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis that can lead to the potentially life threatening condition of diabetic ketoacidosis; and,  

WHEREAS, type 2 diabetes, often referred to as insulin resistance, occurs when the pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond causing the body to not use insulin properly; and,  

WHEREAS, best practice guidelines to treat diabetes include but are not limited to insulin, oral medication, diet, physical activity, daily self-management routines, and free community programs such as the National Diabetes Prevention Program; and, 

WHEREAS, Diabetes Awareness Month is an opportunity to provide education about the disease and raise awareness that a simple blood sugar test or taking the Pre-Diabetes Risk Test has the potential to save lives and positively impact the people of the Commonwealth; 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize November 2022 as DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.