Curt Weldon

Curt Weldon, Diabetes Champion

Congressman pushes for education on ‘silent killer’

By Judith Capar
Staff Writer, Daily Local News, March 27, 2000

The following are excerpts from the article.

U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-7th of Thornbury, knows first-hand why diabetes is often called ‘the silent killer’. “I was diagnosed with diabetes about five years ago, and I didn’t know I had the problem,” said the Congressman. “And that’s the real issue with diabetes. There are 16 million Americans with diabetes and most of them don’t know they have it. The disease creeps up on you.”

Weldon was among the lucky ones who learned of his condition before it had a chance to cause serious damage to his eyes, nerves, kidneys, liver and heart.

Others are not so fortunate, says Dr. Bruce Zimmerman, president of the American Diabetes Association, which is observing American Diabetes Alert Day on Tuesday.

“Many people have diabetes for years before they are diagnosed,” Zimmerman said. “It is often not until they find their eyes, nerves, and kidneys failing that they discover they have been living with this chronic disease.”

Since his diagnosis at age 47 with adult-onset diabetes, formerly called Type II diabetes, Weldon has adjusted his diet, exercises as much as he can, and takes the oral medication, glucophage, to help keep his blood sugar under control.

“I changed my outlook on life, but I have not stopped doing anything,” said Weldon last week, on his way back to Washington, D.C. after he and his wife moved to a home in Thornbury, Delaware County, just across the Chester Country line. Weldon’s district includes Delaware County and the eastern part of Chester County.

“The only thing I’ve done differently is to step up my efforts to make people aware there’s nothing to be ashamed of in having diabetes. Bobby Clarke, one of my sports heroes, has had diabetes all his life, and he was an outstanding hockey player. So it doesn’t have to limit you. You don’t have to be ashamed.”

……

Looking back on when he was diagnosed, Weldon said he remembers a tingling sensation in his hands, but nothing else.

“That’s hard to tell,” he said when asked how long he may have had diabetes without knowing it. “It could have been a year, I may have just gotten it when it first started.”

Even though he has a family history of the disease, Weldon said learning through a routine physical that he, too, was affected was still a surprise because “you never think you’re going to have it.”

Weldon said he naturally was concerned about the impact.

“You think right away you have to take insulin, give yourself needles and how it is going to limit your life,” said Weldon. “Most people can go on and live a normal life. They have to basically diet and exercise. They are the two critical factors, and if you watch your food intake and sugar intake and keep yourself active, you can keep your blood sugars down. I feel fine and I test my sugar on a regular basis. Mine has gone down into the normal range.”

Weldon confesses he has somewhat of an advantage in staying on track because his wife, Mary, is a nurse and certified diabetes educator at Crozer Keystone Health System.

“Her job is to educate people on how to control blood sugar and make sure they understand that diabetes is something you can control yourself,” said Weldon. “She is my conscience out of my body. When I do things that are wrong, she’s telling me, “You now, you’re not supposed to eat that.” She’s constantly prodding me and talking to me about new developments in diabetes.”

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