On Sunday, 2nd of November, La Cala hosted the seventh edition of the ‘Move Against Diabetes’ walk. Hundreds of neighbours joined this initiative organised by the La Cala Lions Club to raise awareness about the disease, promote healthy lifestyle habits and raise funds to support their social work.
The event was supported by the Town Hall’s Departments of Foreigners and Sports. The councillor for Foreigners, Mario Bravo (PP), highlighted the importance of prevention: “Diabetes kills millions of people every year. It is a very silent disease, although it is relatively easy to prevent. It is a matter of reducing sugar intake and increasing physical exercise a little”. For her part, the councillor for Sports, Mari Francis Alarcón (PP), stressed the importance of early detection. “Something as simple as pricking your finger and getting tested from time to time is essential for prevention, especially for people who may have a family history of the disease, because diabetes is often hereditary”, she said.
A “silent killer”
Throughout the morning, volunteers from the La Cala Lions Club offered free glucose tests in El Torreón Square. Mercy Chapman, a volunteer nurse, warned of the dangers of this condition, saying that “diabetes is something very hidden. People walk down the street not knowing they have it, and it causes problems with the eyes, circulation and heart... with many things”.
The president of the club’s Diabetes Support Group, Anne Bowles, was clear about the seriousness of the diagnosis. “The idea of our group is to raise awareness about diabetes, because it is a killer, it can kill you. Many people say “I only have a little bit of diabetes” and we say that’s like being “a little bit pregnant”, she said.
Solidarity for other causes
The charity day also served as a platform for other causes, such as Jenny Hannam’s initiative to install defibrillators in La Cala, a project that is very close to his heart. “In London, they have one every hundred metres. The reason we are here today is that I myself suffered a cardiac arrest in London last December, and it was the presence of a defibrillator that saved my life”, explained Hannam.
The event was rounded off with a walk along the Coastal Path, a market enlivened by music and a Zumba session.
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