You Can Be Stronger than Diabetes

You Can Be Stronger than Diabetes by artist Kristin Groenveld is located in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This mural is about diabetes awareness and nutrition. It is one in a series of four public health murals sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK a large pharmaceutical company). Each mural is located in a demographic area that the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health determined needed more visible public education on a specific health concern.

The location of this mural was chosen because diabetes diagnoses in people aged birth to 18 was the highest in the city. In response to Fishtown Neighbors strong sense of pride, the artist fashioned a fish out of fruits and vegetables to show the influence that good nutrition/healthy eating habits can have on diabetes prevention.

As the project got underway community members brought a variety of ideas to the mural from diabetes, to literature, and sketches. All were to be contained in one mural: roof top gardens, a cityscape, planters, leaves, outdoor market, healthy food, farm, patterns, bikes, one woman’s china pattern, cartoon of a fish from a teen’s diabetes magazine, something to cover the guard rail, a feeling of magic, flooring, colorful, readable from a distance, unique, inspire creativity, and most importantly making eating healthy a fun idea for kids.