What are You Doing for World Diabetes Day?

[Rphil2]

Sheryl and I are doing the BigBlueTest with the Indy Adult D community at 11 AM followed by a D lunch time meet up. I will miss two tweet ups I really wanted to attend. But well, commitments. After I get home i will go twitter up baby

rick

[Adele1]

lol i was diagnosed on this day last year hahahah just my luck hey!

[Pastelpainter]

Wore blue and sat outside in the sunshine frantically trying to eat a honey and macadamia nut icecream before it melted. Was 38C today!

[Brian_BSC]

@yourhanner

I’m honestly really struggling with WDD. I feel like there is a huge focus on prevention, and as a T2 that makes me feel at fault in the blame/shame game. The official WDD Facebook Page has a lot of posts about about 70% of T2 cases are preventable, and many infographics on the types of foods we should be eating. Here’s where I struggle: I eat a MUCH more restrictive diet than what they are suggesting (whole wheat bread and rice? Doesn’t work for me, at all). I also personally have other factors that have contributed to my diagnosis (PCOS and insulin resistance, family history, etc). I feel like I just can’t identify with this campaign.

Even if I were to “come out” as a T2 not in association with this particular campaign - there is SO much misinformation out there. I know that many of my acquaintances, and maybe even friends, would smugly comment about how I’m paying for it now, and how my poor “lifestyle” choices must have landed me where I am - even though I have always striven to take care of myself.

And yet - I really believe that owning this, and presenting myself as a human face of T2 in the atmosphere of fear mongering, is a really important step in reducing stigma and shame.

Wondering if any of you have similar qualms?

I have to tell you I truly understand how you feel. I feel like society has just accepted this misconception that Type 2 diabetes is a condition caused by poor lifestyle choices. And like you I don’t really feel at home on WDD. Where exactly would I advocate as a Type 2. Sure there are lots of people out there advocating for a cure. Are they talking about a cure for Type 2? No. It isn’t even part of the conversation. And any major advocacies for Type 2 I frankly don’t relate to.

Consider this, we have the WDD official platform, from the IDF saying that if people adopted a “healthy lifestyle” the vast majority of Type 2 could be prevented. I can stand up and say bullhockey, but at least for now we have deaf ears. So yes, like you I really don’t feel at home with WDD. No way am I going to go out and advocate for a lie, telling people that their unhealthy lifestyle is causing diabetes. That is not only wrong and hurting people but it leaves those of us with Type 2 with the idea that we caused our diabetes and we should walk through life feeling blame and stigma. I just can’t in my heart get behind such a movement.

Instead, I’m going to have a quiet lunch with a dear friend with diabetes. I’ll wear my BigBlueTest T-shirt. But like you I just don’t feel like WDD is for me. Which is truly unfortunate. Someday I hope to figure out how to help fix things but at least now perhaps I can at least make you feel understood and not alone.

[askmanny]

This WDD feels a bit strange to me: it’s the first time since 2007 that I am in a different role, outside of Diabetes Hands Foundation, but still looking actively for ways to make a difference (and doing at least one #BigBlueTest every day!)

Yesterday, I gathered my colleagues at Livongo and we took this pic in support of the #insulin4all campaign.

BTW, I can’t describe how happy it makes me to see the ease of use of TuDiabetes from my mobile!!

Big blue hug, to everyone!!

[EmilyC]

I had a FANTASTIC World Diabetes Day with some great guys from Diabetes And Sports Health (DASH) in West Oakland, CA! We talked with passers by about WDD and diabetes, and then did a Big Blue Test together by going for a short running tour of some of Oakland’s incredible murals. I’m so sore!!!