The forth annual Beavers Diabetes Awareness Day took place on November 19th 2016, before the OSU home football game against the University of Arizona. OSU College of Pharmacy students partnered with Novo Nordisk, Samaritan Health Services, Kaiser Permanente, PacificSource Health Plan, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Legacy Health/Randall Children’s Hospital, to provide blood glucose screenings and diabetes education to football fans. More then 300 blood glucose screenings were provided to participants and many had an opportunity to meet former NFL Tight End and four year OSU letter winner Tim Euhus, as well as Miss Oregon’s Outstanding Teen 2016, Abby Hoppe.
Abby is a student at West Salem High School who has type 1 diabetes and lives a full and active life. When asked about the importance of spreading diabetes awareness she explained “So many people let a diabetes diagnosis determine what they are able to do with their life. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 10 years old and I have never let it define me or what I am able to accomplish, I think that by encouraging others to think the same way about diabetes will help those who live with the disease to peruse their goals and live life to the fullest.” Abby’s platform for her pageant involvement was “Turn Type One Into Type None” in order to raise awareness for type 1 diabetes.
blood glucose screenings
OSU P2 pharmacy students Sonya Lee and Esther Ku organized OSU College of Pharmacy student involvement as co-chairs of Operation Diabetes. Esther and Sonya explained that Beavers Diabetes Awareness Day allows for early detection of high blood glucose levels and spreads awareness of diabetes prevalence. The event also aims to bring awareness to unhealthy lifestyle habits and encourages people to develop healthy habits that reduce their risk of developing
type 2 diabetes.
Photo Credit: Brian Haggblom ’16