You will read a lot about the importance of learning to perform CPR in our blog posts, as well as the importance of having AEDs ready at hand in the event of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Equally important is avoiding SCA in the first place. Cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attack and stroke, kills more people than anything else on the planet. Our Instructors spend a good portion of class time explaining the anatomy and physiology of Heart Attach, Stroke, and what CPR does to help avoid permanent and irreversible brain death... and our curriculum also includes the risk factors that can lead to these forms of sudden death, so our students can be informed and try to avoid or control these risk when able. Risk Factors are influences that affect our chances of having cardiovascular disease.  The three main categories are: Controllable Risk Factors, Non-Controllable Risk Factors, and Contributing, or Other Risk Factors. “Contributing” Risk Factors include Diabetes, Obesity, and Stress. Controllable Risk Factors include Smoking, Diet, Exercise, and High Blood Pressure, and finally, the Non-Controllable Risk Factors, which include Heredity, Gender, and Age. For almost a quarter century, we've been teaching our CPR courses calling Diabetes a "Contributing" factor - and it is, but it is controllable, to - even to the point of prevention. Diabetes as a long-term condition that must be managed every day. Even if you come from a family prone to Diabetes, you can avoid developing this condition through exercise, weight management, and a healthy diet. Today over 387 million people live with Diabetes, and estimates call for that number to rise to over 1/2 billion in the next 20 years. Don't be a statistic. Today, we would like to share a video from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offering information on the basics of diabetes: