The American Diabetes Association has launched its annual Diabetes Awareness Month, spending the month of November raising awareness about the disease that affects millions of Americans each year.

According to an ADA press release, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley issued a proclamation declaring November Alabama’s month of awareness.

“Alabama is near the top [in] national overweight and obesity, making its citizens very susceptible to developing Type-II diabetes,” Bentley said.

“The more you know, the easier it is to prevent something from happening,” said Shafiqul Islam, an ADA intern. “There are millions of people who have diabetes, and many of them don’t even know that they have it.”

Over 26 million Americans have diabetes, and six million don’t know they have it, Islam said. Another 58 million have pre-diabetes. Type-II used to be called adult-onset diabetes, since it happens most often in adults.

Type-I diabetes, formally known as juvenile-onset diabetes, typically presents itself in children and young adults.

While Type-II diabetes can often be prevented with proper diet and exercise, Type-I is much more serious and isn’t as easy to treat.

“The difference between the two is that a person with Type-II has a pancreas that doesn’t use insulin sufficiently,” Islam said. “Type-I people have a pancreas that stops making insulin altogether.”

People living with Type-I diabetes often have to check their blood sugar multiple times a day and inject themselves with insulin.

Austin During, a Tuscaloosa resident and former University of Alabama student, was diagnosed with Type-I diabetes at the age of four.

“I am insulin dependent,” During said. “I take shots in the morning, the afternoon, at night. With these shots, I have to test my glucose and make sure it is in range, and if it’s not, I have to take the insulin to bring it back to where it used to be.”

During said his condition, while manageable, was sometimes difficult with a college lifestyle.

“Being a freshman in college puts a lot of worries on you because you’re going to a new environment,” During said. “You have to be very wary of your blood sugars and the maintenance. But also telling your roommates about the diabetes – if I’m acting this way, my diabetes is probably low. If I pass out, you should do this. You have to take on a lot of responsibility as someone with diabetes.”

However, despite the challenges he faced, During said he is somewhat appreciative of the things diabetes has taught him.

“You have to be more educated and more aware of your surroundings than most individuals. If you go out to a late party, you have to be aware of what your levels are and take your shot,” he said. “It makes you gain a whole new perspective of the disease you’re living with and in some ways made me appreciate diabetes because it placed a lot of restrictions on me. I felt like I was taking care of myself better than some people.”

During was a part of UA’s crew team and graduated in 2009 with a degree in marketing and advertising.

The theme of this year’s campaign is “I Raise My Hand to Stop Diabetes.” ADA’s graphic accompanying the campaign is a hand with a red dot on the index finger, indicating the spot at which people with diabetes test their blood sugar.

“In terms of social media, we’re trying to get people to take the pledge on Facebook to Stop Diabetes,” Islam said. “As an organization in the Alabama/Mississippi division, we strive to raise awareness and bring people together into a community in this fight against diabetes. It’s easier to motivate yourself if you go through the same problem with someone else and you’re both there to support each other along the way.”