Why Shoes are Important for Diabetics
Diabetes have been on the rise, in 2015 nearly 30.3 million Americans, or 9.4% of the population, had diabetes. Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes. Did you also know African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes: 13.2% of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diagnosed diabetes. African Americans are 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes as non Hispanic whites.
How being diabetic affect your feet? Well both type 1 and type 2 diabetes cause damage to blood vessels and peripheral nerves that can result in problems in the legs and feet. There are two conditions, 1. (PAD) which stands for peripheral artery disease , and 2. peripheral nephropathy are responsible for the increased risk of foot problems in people with diabetes.
What I have learned is people develop foot ulcers due to peripheral vascular disease and nerve damage and having diabetes may not notice sores or cuts on the feet, which in turn can lead to an infection. Nerve damage can also affect the function of foot muscles, leading to improper alignment and injury. Not having the proper foot wear or proper shoes can lead to a variety of issues such as open cuts and wounds that will not heal properly, also senior citizens 65 and older being diagnosed with diabetes percentage is 25.2% which is very high.
Meet Mr. Keith Morgan a homeless senior citizen with diabetes he had both of his big toes amputated due to foot ulcers and peripheral vascular disease associated with diabetes, wearing regular shoes is not good for him. He need special diabetic shoes with fillers to make sure his shoes fit his feet properly and accommodate the space for his big toe being amputated.
I met Mr. Morgan a few years back and did not know he had diabetes or that his toes were amputated until I spoke with him a few days ago and he shared with me he was in the hospital due to having his toe amputated because a room he rented in a house was mold infested, the mold was in the carpet in his room and from walking barefoot the mold invaded his body through his feet.
He also shared he didn't have any shoes for his feet upon being released from the hospital and if Shoe Drive World Wide could help him out?
Of course, Mr Morgan we will do what we can to provide a new pair of diabetic shoes and fillers for you. He smiled and said thank you.
Shoe Drive World Wide goal is to provide shoes to those in need and with the support of the community we will make it happen.
Your donations will help in purchasing Mr. Morgan's shoes click on the link below and see the shoes he needs or head over to our donation page and donate what you can.
We thank you for your support and kindness!