The Tribune

THE SAC Alumni Association (SACAA) has started off the year on a high note, making a significant donation to a local organisation.

As SACAA continues to build on the foundation it began in 2018, it continues to strengthen its key initiatives of strengthening alumni relations, supporting St Augustine’s College, and supporting the community at large.

As published in a local article in March of 2017 for over five years diabetes has been considered an “epidemic” throughout the Bahamas. It is the fifth-leading cause of death for all ages locally with a rate of 29.2 deaths per 100,000 persons annually (in 2012).”

In 2015 a study was conducted by the IDF (International Diabetes Federation), which showed that 6.7 per cent of the local Bahamian population, which is about 23,000 people were pre-diabetic, and that 36,000 (9.2 per cent) were actually diabetic. Somehow we are leading the world with a huge amount of diabetics per capita.

As Dr Graham Cates states, “ the disease is multifactorial. … lifestyle is one of the leading causes of diabetes, but there is also a genetic predisposition”.

In the Bahamas genetically we have a likelihood towards diabetes, and add that to our not so great food and lifestyle choices, we are a diabetes “time-bomb.”

With this disease having such prevalence, SACCA president Cherelle Cartwright thought it only fitting to lend a helping hand. SACCA recently caused several pairs of orthopaedic shoes to be donated to the Bahamas Diabetic Association.

“These shoes will help persons affected by this disease, as the feet are one of the key areas affected greatly by diabetes,” she said, adding: “SACAA will do what it can to support this worthwhile cause as several of its members suffer from the disease.”