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Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America	Frequent Questions Search

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Secretary Thompson praised Johnson, who was diagnosed with the disease when she was 19, for her work on educating the public on the issue, and he vowed to work with her and national groups to combat the spread of diabetes.

"Nicole is an inspiration to millions of Americans who live with diabetes," Secretary Thompson said. "We must all work to fight this disease that touches so many of our daily lives. Fighting diabetes is one of our top goals at the Department of Health and Human Services."

Johnson, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1993 when she was a sophomore at the University of South Florida, has since become a national spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association and the Joslin Diabetes Center's High Hopes Fund for Kids with Diabetes, as well as other groups and businesses.

More Americans than ever before are suffering from diabetes, with 800,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Since 1990, diabetes rates have increased more than 40 percent. Today some 16 million Americans have the disease, but almost a third of them are undiagnosed and unaware of how they should be caring for themselves through proper nutrition and other measures. With no known cure, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. However, much of the health burden of diabetes can be delayed or prevented through proper nutrition, physical activity and appropriate medical treatment.

"That's one reason why efforts for public education are so important," Thompson said.

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