Sanofi celebrates International Self Care Day with Power To Love Yourself Completely Online Event

 

In photo: Janeena Chan, Jill Lim, Group Brand Manager of Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, Mommy Mish of MommaNManila and Lynn Pinugo, Co-Founder of SheTalksAsia.

In celebration of International Self Care Day, Sanofi Philippines held an Instagram Live event called Power to Love Yourself Completely to discuss topics related to self care. Sanofi invited MommaNManila founder Michelle Aventajado and She Talks Asia Co-Founder and CEO Lynn Pinugo to talk about self care, with topics such as how to teach kids about self-care, and how working millennials can take care of themselves while working from home. 

Promoting a holistic approach to health is a big part of Sanofi’s Panata, and encouraging others to practice self-care is a part of this. Jill Ong-Lim, Group Brand Manager of Sanofi Consumer Healthcare shared, “We need to realize that self-care in itself is the goal. Not just for others, but just for yourself. ” 

Janeena Chan moderated the discussion, sharing her own experience and tips for practicing self care. “Your reality is shaped within your mind, so as long as you know that you can get back up again, you’ll be okay.”

My Diabetes Journey and how insulin therapy has helped me

 

Diabetes Mellitus is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar level to become too high.

“You have diabetes.” Those three words continued to ring right into my ears from the time I got my blood work up to the time I went to see an endocrinologist. I know it wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t cancer but it felt like it was. I’ve got no one else to blame but myself—my poor eating habits, my being a lazy couch potato for years and my being an emotional eater. Yes, all these years, I’ve taken my health for granted.

I have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a lifelong chronic condition that affects the body’s ability to use energy. For non-diabetics, the sugar and carbohydrates in the food we consume are transformed into glucose which the cells absorb in the bloodstream with the help of the hormone called insulin. But for diabetics like me, it’s a different story. Since we don’t produce or do not have enough insulin in the body, we can’t absorb glucose, which in turn creates a build-up in the blood and often leads to more serious illnesses or complications.

It was in 2015 that I first learned I had diabetes mellitus. Prior to that, I wasn’t aware I was diabetic. In fact, I accidentally found out about my health right after my right eye bled and I started seeing “floaters.” It turned out I already had diabetic retinopathy. I had my damaged eye undergo two laser treatments/pan-retinal photocoagulation treatment. Unfortunately, the retina on my right eye has been severely damaged and is already irreversible.