November really has been an amazing Diabetes month! I haven't stopped at all and I've loved every minute of it, as I'm sure we all have!
Firstly I attended another Young Leaders meeting at Diabetes UK head quarters. This was our third meeting and I can really feel the progress that's being made. It's clear that a lot of work has been put in since we last met at the Big Event during the summer. This hard work is down to the wonderful Alex and Matt who keep us in the loop and keep us on our toes. The group will officially kick off next year and I'm sure that we will be making a big splash in the world of diabetes... for now though... my lips are sealed about our plans.
Next on my diabetes agenda was to write two guest blogs. One was for Timesulin about what World Diabetes Day means to me and why I feel it is so important. I was really pleased when I was asked to do this, I know that Timesulin has made a big difference to many people's diabetes self management, also the team are absolutely lovely and do a lot to raise awareness for diabetes! I love to give back to the people who I feel really and truly want to help people with their diabetes, and I get this feeling every time I speak to one of their team.
Blog number two was for Diabeto device who are the makers of my favourite little blue birdie diabetes accessory. I regularly interact with one of the creators and was really happy when he asked me to write for them. I was told that I could choose any diabetes topic I liked ,so I went with Blood Glucose Monitors. I chose my Accu-check Expert as I'd just found out that my HbA1c result had improved and I feel that I owe a lot to my meter.
Next up was a biggie for me! I was honoured to be asked by Diabetes UK if I would like to write about my diagnosis for the Independent which would be published on World Diabetes Day!
What an amazing opportunity to have a bigger voice to raise awareness for Type 1 diabetes! The article that I wrote was in support of the Diabetes UK 4ts campaign which is something that is very close to my heart. After a traumatic diagnosis I'll do anything I can to prevent that from happening to someone else. This is why I support their campaign and why I included it in the article... the message is simple but so strong. This campaign wasn't just for World Diabetes Day or for November, but it's for every day until a cure has been found!
Finally I travelled to Animas head quarters on World Diabetes Day to meet with their team and take part in talks and focus groups. I met with my lovely friend @Superbetic_T1 and the mysterious @grumpy_pumper (who I caught smiling at least twice throughout the day!) We listened to inspirational talks from teams of Type 1s who had swum the channel and @Superbetic_T1 told us about how he's recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro despite only being diagnosed a few months before!
At lunch I thrilled (bored really) Fred Gill with stories of why I want to become a Diabetes Specialist Nurse. I was completely unaware of who he was and was a little embarrassed when I found out that he rows for Great Britain. He was actually there to give us a talk about his experience of diagnosis and adapting, but sadly he had to listen to me nattering away before hand!
The whole animas team came together at the end of the day for a walk around the offices, all dressed in blue, to celebrate World Diabetes Day together. At the end, Simon (regional sales manager for animas), took the mic (for what I was hoping was the start of a karaoke session) and thanked us all for our support!
It was a good day and every time I checked twitter or facebook I saw the words World Diabetes Day plastered everywhere. I could tell that people were making a massive difference in any way that I could... articles, post card exchanges, photos, events, talks, fundraising, blogs... anything and everything!
May the amazing work support and awareness carry on into the future until the cure is found!