This story was created as part of Ideastream Public Media's “Sound of Us” audio storytelling workshop, in collaboration with the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center. We are featuring stories about identity. Each of our community storytellers explores aspects of their identity they find important. Tell your own story!
Hello, my name is Alejandro Moreno. I’m a 56-year-old Hispanic male. I am a ukulele player. I also have diabetes.
This is a very hard topic to talk about. It makes people very defensive and instantly puts them in a bad mood. I don’t blame them. That was me when I was diagnosed 10 years ago. It took me a long time to accept it.
My sister-in-law, Blanca, felt the same way when she found out about her diabetes.
“Oh man, I felt depressed,” Blanca said. “I thought I was getting old. I just couldn't believe that it had gotten me.”
Diabetes is a condition when the pancreas can’t control sugar levels. That can mess up the body's organs, including the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys.
Family history plays a big part in who gets diabetes, but not eating right can also increase chances. Many people feel bad, and feel that getting diabetes was their own fault. Blanca said this is because of guilt that you're doing something wrong.
My wife, Lilly, also has diabetes. She always tries to cook healthy food, but had to learn a whole new way of eating.
“It's very difficult being Latino and having diabetes, because of all our get-togethers,” Lilly said while in the kitchen making chicken soup. “There's always food involved.”
My brother-in-law, Alex, agreed that we Latinos celebrate everything with music and food.
“We come from a family that snacks, that eats, that loves to eat, that drinks... not so super health conscious,” Alex said. “We play hard but we also eat and drink hard. That’s the way we grew up.”
Diabetes is an issue for us. U.S. adults have a 40% chance of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the chance is more than 50% for Latino and Hispanic populations, and they are more likely to develop it at a younger age.
Having diabetes means always thinking about what's safe to eat. Even a little extra sweet treat once per day can throw everything off.
“I had a doctor's appointment, and it had some good numbers,” Alex said. “Now, you could go have that extra little snack because I'm doing good. And then a week turns into two, and then turns into a month… and then all of a sudden, your numbers are high again.”
No matter how well-balanced the diet, Lilly always misses that little sweet treat.
“I really, really love ice cream,” Lilly said. “I love sundaes with a lot of whipped cream and pineapple. That's what I miss.”
I love ice cream too and I miss it. But you know what? We are Latinos! We are always looking for solutions, right? Everyone has their own tricks to keep their sugar levels down. Lilly puts cinnamon in yogurt to keep her sugar down.
People also say kale is good at helping to control sugar levels. They say a piece of kale every morning makes everything else taste good. And they’re right, kale tastes awful!
Alex also likes to try different physical activities to keep his diabetes under control.
“I like hobbies that make you sweat,” Alex said. “I love hiking and racquetball — things like that to get you outside and moving.”
But how do you deal emotionally and mentally with this condition? It's an everyday issue. Now, I present to you, my friend, the sound of the ukulele. It transports my mind to a shelter, where I find my moment to breathe and relax. Just a little break.
My advice is to follow the doctor’s instructions and play the ukulele. If diabetes decides to live with me forever, it has to live with me and my ukulele.