Jeff Banfield was delivered a blow on his 52nd birthday. Besides the presents and birthday cake, he received some crushing news from his doctor.
He was told he had Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a genetic condition affecting the peripheral nervous system, with symptoms that include progressive weakness and muscle wasting of the legs and arms.
Just weeks later, the Braybrook resident was thrown another curveball. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
That was seven years ago.
Mr Banfield’s condition has deteriorated slowly on both fronts – he has just lost mobility in his legs, and now gets around in a wheelchair and his diabates has progressed from type 2 to type 1, requiring daily insulin injections.
“But I’m not going to let it get me down,” he says. “I didn’t even know that [diabetes progression] could happen.”
Mr Banfield is not alone. Figures from Diabetes Victoria reveal one in every 15 Braybrook residents has either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
The prevalence of the disease has led Health West, with help from members of the Braybrook Community Hub, to develop a website, called Diabetes Out West, to help residents with diabetes. The website, which went live last Thursday, is designed to educate people in Braybrook about their diabetes and the local supports available to them.
Health West’s executive officer Gail O’Donnell said she hopes the website will encourage people to be more proactive about managing their conditions, rather than relying solely on doctors to make decisions for them.
“Often people do not know about the great services in Braybrook, many of which are low cost and accept self-referrals. The website brings this information together,” she said.
Details: www.diabetesoutwest.org.au
