Lions Club to offer free diabetes program

McMinnville Lions Club will be presenting a free diabetes awareness program at 6 p.m. this Thursday at the Caney Fork Electric auditorium. If you or a friend or family member has diabetes, or you just want to know what you can do to help avoid the disease, you are encouraged to come and review some of the resources available.

The keynote speaker will be Lions Club member Tom Irwin, an active businessman living with diabetes. Irwin thought his world had crashed around him when he was diagnosed with diabetes. He will tell how he chose to control the disease instead of letting it control him.

Other speakers will be Lions Club member Cliff Swoape, State of Tennessee Diabetes Awareness Chairman, and Brandi Murphy, RN, from River Park Hospital’s diabetes management team.

Swoape will tell what is being done by Lions Clubs across Tennessee to raise awareness and research money to find better treatments and a cure. Murphy will talk about local and area resources for treatment and management.

Diabetes is a life-altering disease, and the number of people, young and old, who are diagnosed daily is increasing at an alarming rate. Diabetes is also the No. 1 preventable cause of blindness in the United States.

Diabetic-friendly refreshments will be served at the meeting. Call Susie Davenport at 473-3234 for more information.