Woman to walk for diabetes in Bermuda

Of the 48 Canadians participating in a walk for diabetes in Bermuda this fall, only one is from Ontario: Marilyn Angus of Barwick.
The 44-year-old grandmother will walk 26 miles, or about 42 km, as a member of Team Diabetes Canada in the Great Walking Marathon in November.
“It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s going to be worth it,” Angus said, referring to her 16 weeks of training as well as the marathon itself.
Angus first learned about the marathon when she saw an advertisement in the Winnipeg Free Press, calling for people to submit applications for Team Diabetes and the upcoming event in Bermuda.
Team Diabetes is a fundraising initiative for the Canadian Diabetes Association.
“We recruit people to become ambassadors or volunteers for the CDA,” said Linda Berg, the community campaign officer for the Manitoba/Nunavut branch of the CDA.
“In return, we get them ready to participate in a marathon.”
Since its inception three years ago, Team Diabetes has raised $3 million for the CDA and its programs. But Berg stressed it’s not just about the money.
“It’s helping in the prevention aspect,” she noted. “About 70 percent of the people who sign up for the team are novices. They’re people who might not think they can do [a marathon.]”
She said once people sign up as members of the team, they are given information and guidance in adopting a healthier lifestyle, thereby reducing the risk of developing diabetes themselves.
When Angus saw the advertisement in the newspaper, she immediately sent in her application. “I wrote a letter stating why I’d be interested in walking in Bermuda with them,” she recalled.
A week later, Angus got a call informing her she had been chosen to join the group.
“I was excited,” she enthused. “I thought it was a really good opportunity.”
Angus knows a thing or two about diabetes. As a registered practical nurse working largely with First Nations communities, she’s seen its effects on all age groups, but increasingly its devastating impact on the young.
“It’s really important to me because of working in the diabetes field, seeing how many people are out there and have diabetes, and some of the consequences.
“Seeing what they’re dealing with and the complications that can arise,” she explained.
The Fort Frances Tribal Area Health Authority, where Angus works, recently sponsored the Diabetes Prevention Theatre Project to come to Couchiching to teach young people—through a workshop-skit—about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
According to the CDA, more than two million Canadians have diabetes—and that number will hit three million by 2010.
Health Canada says about 60,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in Canada every year, and that about one-third of adults with diabetes are undiagnosed.
Among aboriginal communities, Type 2 diabetes rates are three-five times higher than in the general population.
Diabetes also can lead to blindness, kidney disease, heart attack, stroke, or amputation.
Angus said the Tribal Area Health Authority will be targeting schools in the fall to get youth involved in healthy lifestyles.
The Great Walking Marathon in Bermuda will take place Nov. 16. Until then, Angus will continue her training.
In addition to walking from the Beer Store on Fifth Street to Couchiching and back every day, Angus is working out three times a week at Curves For Women here, which has donated access to its facilities for the duration of her training.
“It’s amazing. The first week I was at Curves, I couldn’t wait to go back,” she said. And she finds the aerobic workouts are making a real difference. “I’m not as hungry, and I have more energy.”
Participants in the walk have the option of doing the half-marathon of 13 miles (21 km), which is one lap around the island, or the full marathon of 26 miles (42 km), which is two laps.
Angus has decided to aim for the full marathon “unless the weather’s really, really hot that day.”
The CDA requires team members to each raise a minimum of $5,500—money that will go towards diabetes research and education. In return, the CDA pays for the walker’s airfare, three nights’ accommodation, and registration fee for the marathon.
Team members also may bring along one guest. Angus is bringing her 24-year-old daughter. “My husband won’t go because it’s hunting season,” she laughed.
What’s more, Angus said she has a slight fear of flying, but she’s not going to let that stop her. “I’m determined to do it,” she vowed.
If you would like to sponsor Angus in her walk for diabetes, you can contact her at 487-1045, or mail your donation to P.O. Box 145, Fort Frances, Ont.,
P9A 3M5.