This June 2018, EMJ Supports…

Written by Kim Cordell  |  Product Development Administrator, European Medical Journal  |  @EMJ_Kim

This June, EMJ has proudly showcased its support for Diabetes Week and Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Month.

Held from 11^th–17^th June, Diabetes Week was an opportunity for supporters of Diabetes UK to come together and raise awareness of the condition.

The charity recognises that often it isn’t easy to have a conversation about dealing with diabetes, which is why this year’s focus for the annual event was to make it easier for those with the condition to reach out and be more open about what it is like to live with diabetes. To encourage people to join the conversation, Diabetes UK shared stories from their supporters online about living with diabetes and asked for their followers to get involved on social media with their personal experiences of the condition. The hashtag #TalkAboutDiabetes¹ was used to promote conversation.

If you’ve visited the Motor Neurone Disease Association’s website recently, the first thing that you would have noticed is their stirring video entitled ‘See MND Through Our Eyes’,² which was the focus of this year’s awareness campaign. All too often we take our eyes and vision for granted, forgetting the opportunities and milestones we are able to recognise as a result of our sight. This impactful video from the charity reminds us that for those living with motor neurone disease, over time the ability to perform functions such as speaking, swallowing, or moving is lost, leaving many of those with the condition with only their eyes to communicate. Using the hashtag #MyEyesSay, the Motor Neurone Disease Association ends the video by asking: “If your eyes were all you could move, what would you say with them?”

Attacking the nerves that control movement, leaving patients unable to control muscle function, motor neurone disease is a “fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.”³ With six people diagnosed with the condition every day in the UK,³ by encouraging members of the public to take selfies and post their pictures on social media along with the hashtag #MyEyesSay, the charity hopes Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Month acts as an opportunity to shine a light on this incurable condition, while aiming to reach as many people as possible.⁴

REFERENCES

1. Diabetes UK. Diabetes Week 2018. Available at: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/diabetes-week. Last accessed: 6 June 2018.
2. Motor Neurone Disease Association. See MND Through Our Eyes. Available at: https://mndeyes.mndassociation.org/. Last accessed: 6 June 2018.
3. Motor Neurone Disease Association. About motor neurone disease (MND). Available at: https://mndeyes.mndassociation.org/what-is-mnd/. Last accessed: 6 June 2018.
4. Motor Neurone Disease Association. Support #MyEyesSay. Available at: https://mndeyes.mndassociation.org/support/. Last accessed: 6 June 2018.