'Managing diabetes is a matter of confidence'

Vikas Wadhwa and his wife Mamta (names changed) are quite nervous about the interview. They don't want their names to be revealed. Reason? Vikas has Type 1 diabetes. It's an unusual reason for requesting anonymity. After all, in a country with 61 million diabetics, the disease isn't anything to be ashamed of. However, as Mamta explains, even in a diabetes-infested country like ours, misconceptions abound.
"My parents don't know of Vikas' condition. They're not very aware of the disease. They'd probably think it was as bad as having cancer or something," she said. Vikas also keeps his condition from his friends since he doesn't want them to treat him any differently.
There are about 1 lakh people with Type 1 diabetes in India. Rarer than the Type 2 version, it is also chronic but completely manageable. And even thought Vikas doesn't want his identity revealed, he doesn't shy away from speaking of his condition. "I've been managing the disease for 14 years. I was in class eight when I got it. I finished school, did my BCom, got married and now my wife and I are expecting our first child. I don't feel there is anything I can't do. And I want every diabetic to know that if you manage your disease well, there is no reason to fear anything. If you have the confidence you can do anything," he says.
It helps of course that Vikas is meticulous in managing his diabetes. Dr Anil Bhoraskar, diabetologist at S L Raheja Hospital and Asian Heart Institute, who has been treating Vikas from the very beginning, says, "Vikas is actually a model patient when it comes to managing his diabetes." Vikas says that his doctor helped him tremendously in coming to terms with the complexities of Type 1 diabetes.
Doesn't it get overwhelming? "Not at all now I'm used to it. And if I don't follow this regiment then the consequences are terrible. Plus I love my life, I love my job, I have a wonderfully supportive family, why would I want to put those things in jeopardy?"