With benefits like improving employee health, wellbeing and morale as well as reducing your risk of diabetes and heart disease, getting your 30 minutes of physical activity and daily dose of fruit and veg will have you feeling great. You can track your progress for free online and see how you stack up against rival departments and offices around the country.

For those who do best, the first Diabetes WA ‘Challenge for Champions’ begins on 10th June with prizes and giveaways up for grabs.

In celebration of Matilda Page’s second birthday, the South Side Symphony Orchestra (SSSO), is hosting a Symphony of Hope on 15 June.

This matinee concert is to raise vital medical research funds in the fight against Sanfilippo Syndrome – the rare and sadly fatal genetic condition Matilda Page was diagnosed with when she was just 3 months old.

Experience uplifting music in a beautiful Anglican Cathedral, enjoy afternoon tea, buy raffle tickets and make heartfelt donations to show support to the courageous Page family. Concert-goers will be helping to bring Hope to Matilda and a generation of children just like her.

Tickets can be purchased for $25 per person, $5 per child or $55 per family at www.sanfilippo.org.au/symphonyhope. There are also concession rates available.

Thursday 14 November celebrates World Diabetes Day (WDD); an annual campaign, held on the same date every year and led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness. The theme for this year's WDD is Diabetes Education and Prevention. For more information about the IDF's international campaign, click here, and for merchandise available through the IDF website, click here.

At a local level, you can show your support for your family and friends living with diabetes by lighting your front porch with a  blue light on 14 November. (If you don't already have a blue light globe, they are widely available from all good light retailers, and are generally inexpensive). Diabetes WA will be showcasing your efforts to turn Perth blue on their social media pages, so please email your photos to [email protected]

It is critical that the impact diabetes has on the Western Australian community is continually highlighted, and initiatives such as lighting up buildings or your own home are simple but effective ways of drawing attention to diabetes and the fact that tens of thousands of people live with type 1 and type 2 diabetes every day.

Prevention
Diabetes is our nation’s fastest growing chronic disease and unless action is taken now, it is expected to overtake heart disease and cancer to become the largest cause of disability and premature death in Australia.

Some good news is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented through positive lifestyle changes. In fact, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes can be reduced by up to 60% by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and following a healthy eating plan.

Early detection
Diabetes is a condition that cannot be ignored, but sadly, there are many people within our community that have diabetes without knowing it.

In fact, it is estimated that for every diagnosed case of type 2 diabetes, there is another that goes undiagnosed and untreated. Diagnosis and appropriate management is paramount: research has shown that if people with diabetes can manage their diabetes well, the risks of complications are greatly reduced and may be either prevented or significantly delayed.