Regular health checks, like these in Sierra Leone, can help to detect the early signs of disease. Photo: Jim Loring/Tearfund
NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
When I was a small child, my grandmother was looking after me when she started to feel unwell. She called a neighbour who quickly recognised the signs of a heart attack and called an ambulance. Thankfully my grandmother survived, partly due to her neighbour’s quick thinking.
Many of us will have watched someone in our community suffer with a non-communicable disease (NCD) like heart disease, cancer, diabetes or a chronic respiratory disease. In fact, NCDs are the biggest cause of death in the world today and are a growing problem.
As I’ve edited this issue, what has caused me grief, but also given me hope, is that many of these diseases are preventable. You can read about how to reduce your risk of developing NCDs on our centre spread, how to eat healthily (page 3) and how to share health messages (page 14). Many lives could be saved by people learning how to respond to a heart attack or stroke, like my grandmother’s neighbour did (page 16).
We can also learn to care for those who are suffering and help to improve their lives. Many people with dia-betes lose limbs due to the disease so we have featured wheelchairs in this edition. There is also a Bible study reflecting on how to love those who are drawing to the end of their lives and show them the love which Jesus himself modelled to us.
I hope you will find this issue interesting and will share it with others. As I take on the editorship from Helen Gaw while she looks after her new baby boy, it is with a great sense of privilege. I am humbled by all the work which our many readers do throughout the world and love hearing your stories of transformation.
Please find below articles from Footsteps issue 87 in html.
To download a pdf version of Footsteps issue 87, please click here (1088KB).