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Vtla Kaliseji means "no sugar" in Cherokee.
I have written this page as an online resource for Native American people, but it is open to all. This is a site designed
specifically for Native American Diabetics patients, with links to news, references and things to do to help you live with
and deal with the disease.
I myself am a diabetic (non-insulin dependent). I was diagnosed on February 11, 2000. I was scared, unsure of what to
do, and suddenly had to change my entire way of living. I am also a Cherokee, and my father, who is full blood Cherokee, also
has the disease, and was diagnosed after I was. I was turned loose into the world with a meter, medication and no information
on how to treat myself, use the meter, or how to eat. I had to educate myself. At the moment my diabetes is stable, but it
is a daily effort and fight to keep it that way.
My dad controlled his with diet alone, and for an elder, that can be a struggle. Sadly, he lost his fight in 2002.
Diabetes is one of the top three killers of Native American people, the other two being cancer and heart disease, and
heart disease and diabetes ARE linked. By creating this web resource, I hope to bring awareness to Native Americans of all
Nations, all tribes, that this disease can be beaten, can be lived with. You have to want to work at it, and most importantly,
YOU HAVE TO TRY.
For this purpose, I have created a resource center. Feel free to browse the links, find what you need, and go out there
and make the changes you need to have a long, happy life.
DISCLAIMER:
I am not a physician. These pages should NOT, in any way, be used for self-diagnosis. Only your doctor can verify via
laboratory testing whether or not you have diabetes. If you are AT RISK, you should get yourself tested. If any of the symptoms
mentioned here seem familiar to you, CALL YOUR PHYSICIAN. If you do have diabetes, follow your physician's instructions and
get yourself trained by a diabetes educator. These pages are to be considered a band aid or an extended resource for diabetes
education. They do not take the place of an educator, nor do they take the place of a physician.
Wado (Thank you)
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