Surendra and Manjhula Daya, the co-ordinators for the Malabar Diabetes Wellness Group, tell us about both having diabetes and managing it together.
Surendra (71) and Manjhula Daya (71) live in Malabar, Port Elizabeth. They have been married for 46 years and have two adult children and two grandsons. Surendra has Type 2 diabetes and Manjhula has Type 2 diabetes.
Manjhula was diagnosed first, in 2000. She remained positive as she knew diabetes is controllable and in order to live a full life, one needs to accept this. She has used insulin (Basaglar and Humalog) since her diagnosis.
Surendra was diagnosed in 2008. He too accepted the condition, despite having high blood pressure and heart problems. His belief is that one must not be upset with the sickness they have, they just need to be positive that they will overcome and survive. He was prescribed Glucophage XR 500 and still takes it today.
The Dayas became members of DSA in September 2009 and Surendra became the co-ordinator of the Malabar Diabetes Wellness Group, which had been in recess for a while; in 2012 when it was re-launched on Valentine’s Day.
“Throughout our lives, my wife and I knew we had to be positive and support each other no matter what, and this is what we did when we found out we had diabetes. We became aware of what we were eating, especially during the Diwali festival. The wife prepares all the delicious sweetmeats, but we control our eating habits during this time. Every winter, we get our flu vaccines. and we are waiting to get our COVID vaccines Even though we are aging in years, we feel we are upgrading in life,” Surendra says.
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Laurelle Williams is the Editor at Word for Word Media. She graduated from AFDA with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Live Performance. She has a love for storytelling and sharing emotions through the power of words. Her aim is to educate, encourage and most of all show there is always hope. Feel free to email Laurelle on editor@diabetesfocus.co.za