Lucy Welles
liw002@marietta.edu
Allen Brokaw lives to help people. The 80-year-old Marietta local has volunteered for countless nonprofit organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries, the Autism Center of Southeastern Ohio, and the O’Neill Center. He is also a veteran of the Korean conflict and has been married to his wife, Libby, for nearly 60 years.
However, Brokaw is not your typical retiree. He is using technology as a resource to help young people become more informed about an issue that is more prevalent than most realize: Diabetes.
A Type 1 diabetic, Brokaw has lived with the disease for most of his life. It has not prevented him from accomplishing any of the tasks he has set his mind to.
Brokaw tells The Marcolian that there is no secret to living with diabetes.
“Diabetes has saved my life. I don’t know if I’d still be here at my age if it weren’t for the extra care I’ve had to put into my well-being throughout the years,” he said.
Several years ago, Brokaw wrote a booklet entitled “From One Diabetic to Another: Taking Charge (Control) of Your Diabetes.” This booklet details all aspects of living with diabetes, including nutrition, personal activity, blood sugar control and the necessity of keeping a positive attitude.
“My doctors actually asked me to write a motivational book for other diabetics to read. So, I sat down, and in five weeks the booklet was born. They share it with their other patients now,” he said.
Now, the tech-savvy Brokaw is taking his reach one step further. He is currently in the process of creating a website to host his project and make it available to readers who would not have otherwise had the chance to read it in print. Brokaw is especially excited to reach younger diabetics.
“It’s a free, pragmatic teaching tool, and it’s not coming from the doctor or the nurse. It’s me; I’m a diabetic too. It’s coming from one diabetic to another,” he told The Marcolian.
All material in Brokaw’s booklet and upcoming website has been approved by medical doctors and certified diabetic educators.
The website will be entitled “Diabetic 121.” The name was adapted from the original title to be a simpler way of conveying the booklet’s conversational “one-to-one” style and to creatively mimic a medical hotline number.
Interested individuals can monitor the progress of Brokaw’s website at www.diabetic121.wordpress.com.
