by Annette Prieto

To me, family caregiving has always been a natural part of life. In fact, my very first memories of my grandmother were of her taking care of her mother. My great-grandmother was bedridden and had Alzheimer’s disease, and as the oldest daughter of nine children, my grandmother felt it was her duty and obligation to take care of her mother. In our culture and our family, that is just what you do.

In a revealing interview just six months into his papacy, Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church should not “interfere spiritually” on the issues of homosexuality and gay marriage, stating that he wants to change the attitude of the church on these topics.

I remember the day I came home with my newborn son. I sat down on the couch and began incessantly sobbing. In a flash, I thought oh my, I have this small child now. How am I going to go to work? Take him to daycare? School? High school? College? How will I manage? In a flash, 18 years flashed before me. It was overwhelming.

Learning for the first time that you have diabetes is definitely not easy. Probably having heard many terrifying stories about the disease, or maybe witnessing a family member struggling with disease, or even worse, having experienced the passing away of a loved one from complications of the disease surely can make us feel afraid and lost when we hear such diagnosis. However, you must know that if you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you are not alone. Fortunately, science and technology have evolved so rapidly, and favorably, that we are now living in the most promising times for diabetic patients and the scientists and clinicians interested in improving their care.