By: Nyima Sillah
Light of Hope Foundation over the weekend organized a daylong awareness creation symposium on Diabetes and Hypertension. The forum was held at the University of The Gambia premises.
The foundation also provided free medical services to diabetes and hypertension patients during the symposium.
In her statement, the Founder and CEO of the Light of Hope Foundation, Mrs. Pamela Jayeola, said the symposium aims to create awareness of Diabetes and Hypertension for the benefit of the public and make victims understand and learn more about their situation.
She added that one should be conscious when suffering from diabetes to have exercise and nutrition, thus diabetes is medically preventable and controllable.
“The foundation focuses more on hypertension and diabetes because many of our participants are diabetic patients. The person who feels it knows it and who knows it can say how it feels,” she expressed.
However, she said the foundation helps young girls in developing their skills, adding the main purpose of the foundation is caring for humanity.
Adam Lowe, the young Gambian Diabetes Association and a diabetic patient expressed gratitude to the Light of Hope Foundation, saying they are diabetic and learning more about their sickness and how to control their health condition.
‘’This foundation has a very great impact on me because it helps me learn more about my health and how to be able to control myself because I can’t live the life of people who are not diabetic,” she said.
Ousman Ceesay, President of the Young Gambian Diabetes Association said “People living with diabetes have a lot of challenges even though you are having diabetes and going on doing your daily activities is very difficult, controlling everything you eat or drink all have limits.”
He noted that there are two types of diabetes the low sugar level which is very critical to deal with, and the high sugar level, adding all these have its signs and symptoms and that people need to be educated about these diseases.