According to the American Diabetes Association, 11.6% of Floridians have diabetes compared to the national average of 9.4%.
“I mean, I’m not surprised that those numbers are so high. Because I don’t think I was ignoring the symptoms, I just didn’t have them,” Matt Harms, who was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, said.
Harms had to have one of his legs amputated. He says an infection in his foot spread up his leg and was made worse by his diabetes.
“Because of the underlying diabetes, it kind of fed off of that infection and expedited the whole process, leading to me being an above-the-knee amputee,” Harms said.
Harms is not alone, doctors in Florida estimate half a million people are unaware that they are prediabetic, or have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
And, people diagnosed with diabetes have more than twice the average medical costs than people without the condition.
In 2021, more than 8,000 people in Florida died from diabetes.
“Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Type 2 diabetes runs in families because of our cultural issues: how we eat, how we exercise, sedentary lifestyle — can increase your risk for diabetes,” Dr. Sunil Joshi, Jacksonville Chief Medical Officer, said.
Dr. Joshi says diabetes is the process of the body not being able to metabolize glucose appropriately. He says those most at risk of Type 2 diabetes include:
- People over age 45 and inactive
- Those with family members who also have diabetes
- African Americans, Asian-Americans and Hispanics
“So I think the most important thing is to get screened for diabetes, and if you can get that bloodwork done, and find out if you have diabetes or are prediabetic, you can get treated early on in the process and prevent some of the really bad consequences, including kidney failure, strokes and heart disease,” Joshi said.
Harms, who is on the road to recovery, says he’s feeling better every day and offers this advice to the at-risk population: “My advice to people would be if you do have family history, go get it checked out. Go to the doctor and listen to him.”
We want to remind you of the city’s “Get Covered Jax” initiative. If you do NOT have healthcare insurance -- you can sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act -- no matter your income level. The marketplace plans also include health coverage for maternity and newborn care as well as pediatric services.
Meantime, we want to hear from you. Share your story about your battle or a loved one’s battle with diabetes in the form below. Your response may be read on a Channel 4 newscast.