When you picture the face of diabetes, you may think of adults, but with growing obesity among children, that image is changing.
Mary Ganzel, Senior Program director of the Albany Area YMCA says, "Since children are becoming overweight, they are starting to see the same types that usually you would see in older individuals."
Middle Schooler Yazmine Mackey loves swimming and admits that she isn't exactly happy with her current weight.
Yazmine Mackey says, "When you have too much weight on you, you feel sad, but you should just feel great."
She knows that being overweight can affect her mental and physical health, and the common diet of kids makes them more prone to diabetes.
Mackey says, "Kids, they eat a lot too and they have a lot of sugar."
Ganzel says, "A lot of the type two diabetes can be eliminated and reduced by keeping your body fat in check."
Mackey lives in the heart of what the CDC has named the Diabetes belt, where where people have a higher risk of getting Type 2 diabetes, but she visits her local YMCA to learn some tips to beat it.
Mackey says, "Sometimes even if you have a little cupcake or something, cut a little half of it."
Ethan Appleton knows what its like to battle diabetes, He has type 1 or juvenile diabetes.
Appleton says "My illness is type 1 diabetes and I have to wear a pump on my arm instead of getting shots."
He likes to interact with kids his age, at risk or with diabetes to encourage them to live healthy and it lets him know there are others, just like him.
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Ethan Appleton I just have fun and meet some people that have diabetes, That I'm not alone.
But as for Type 2 diabetes that is one group that one hopes will one day disappear.
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