Christine Mifsud raised her twin girls to never misplace their toys since she could not help find them and not to leave objects in the middle of a room or “Mummy will fall”.
The 32-year-old mother lost her sight after she gave birth to her daughters, Milena and Giulia, 13 years ago.
Back then, she had no clue that having type 1 diabetes, which she developed when she was one, could lead to complications during birth.
Things have since changed and awareness had increased but Ms Mifsud, who has been a diabetic all her life, insists on the old adage “prevention is better than cure”.
“People should monitor their blood glucose levels and blood pressure regularly and carry out regular check-ups. Living with diabetes is not the end of the world but it’s better without it,” she said.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (type 1), a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces (type 2).
The cause of type 1 is unknown, so preventing it is difficult. But type 2 diabetes, which makes up 90 per cent of cases, is linked to obesity and unhealthy lifestyles.
Sir Michael Hirst, incoming International Diabetes Federation president, described diabetes as a “global pandemic” that kills more people worldwide than HIV, malaria and tuberculosis put together.
At the moment, he said, 366 million people in world had diabetes and the number would increase to 550 million by 2030. This is mainly the result of a sedentary lifestyle, overeating, unhealthy diets and lack of exercise.
World Diabetes Day, being celebrated today, aims to raise awareness about the growing prevalence of diabetes and the need to control the potentially fatal disease.
Ms Mifsud always remembers having to be careful what to eat and having to take two insulin injections a day.
“My mother was overprotective and once I became a parent I understood. Since I couldn’t eat sweets, she didn’t let me go on sleepovers. “She came to parties with me and, if she could not stay, she’d give the host a lecture on what I could and could not eat,” she recalled, adding she was grateful that her girls did not get the hereditary condition.
When she got married and became pregnant, she had no clue there was a link between diabetes and pregnancy, something that is controlled through monitoring.
She had an emergency Caesarean after she experienced kidney failure. She then spent a six weeks in hospital after birth because her blood pressure spiked. Her kidneys and blood pressure settled but soon after birth she began to have a blurred vision. Within a year, and after several operations, she lost sight in her right eye completely and now has 20 per cent vision in the left.
Raising her babies was not easy and she managed with the support of her mother, her mother-in-law and her “incredibly supportive” husband, Stanley.
Today, she gets around with her guide dog, Winny, who she describes as part of her family.
For more information on diabetes visit www.diabetesmalta.org.
Diabetes fact box
About 10 per cent of Malta’s population have diabetes compared to the average prevalence in Europe, which stands at 8.1 per cent.
• Every three seconds someone in the world is diagnosed with diabetes and every eight seconds someone dies due to a complication.
• Diabetes can lead to heart problems, kidney failure, blindness and loss of limbs.
• Almost 80 per cent of men and 95 per cent of women who visit the Diabetes and Endocrine Centre at Mater Dei Hospital are centrally obese (have very large waistlines).
• In March, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the fight against diabetes.
• Malta has no action plan to combat diabetes – something the Malta Diabetes Association has called for.
• In 2010, the health authorities launched the National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, which includes diabetes.