The statistics on the diabetes epidemic is alarming. Every 17 seconds, another person is diagnosed with diabetes. And that's only the people that are diagnosed with the disease. How many more are out there walking around undiagnosed? Diabetes can cause amputations, blindness, and even death. It's one thing that diabetes takes "sweets" from a person, but it's quite another that it takes lives.

This November, the American Diabetes Association is making a call to action to spread awareness of the disease. It's a time for individuals, family, friends, and communities to rally together to fight the war against diabetes. With that in mind, there are a number of ways for you to get involved.

• Take the American Diabetes Facebook pledge. Head on over to the American Diabetes Association Facebook page and take a pledge for diabetes.
• Attend a diabetes event for American Diabetes Month held in your area.
• Learn more about stopping diabetes by visiting the website: StopDiabetes.Diabetes.org.
• Call 1-800-DIABETES to learn more about stopping the disease.
• Download posters, flyers, website banners, and fact sheets found on the the American Diabetes Association website to help spread the word about the disease.
• Support friends, family members, or co-workers who have the disease.

Raising awareness to diabetes is critical not only for those who already have the disease, but also for the millions of Americans that are at risk of developing the disease. Some cases of diabetes could have been prevented had the individual learned proper eating and exercise habits. November is a great time to raise awareness of the impact that proper nutrition and physical activity can have on preventing and managing diabetes.