There are lots of things that are hard about living with diabetes. For me, the hardest thing about growing up with T1D was feeling like no one truly understood what I was going through.

You see- I was diagnosed at fourteen months old. I grew up not knowing any different, but as I went to school and started making friends, I noticed that none of them had to bolus before lunch, check their blood sugar before PE, or go to the hospital for clinic every three months.

In high school, this sense of isolation manifested as a complete denial that I lived with diabetes. I wouldn’t bolus for lunch until after school, because I didn’t want to get in trouble if a teacher mistook my pump for a phone.

Fast forward to my university years and I was still so isolated in my journey with diabetes. I didn’t know of many other people in the community, and I was truly struggling with my management (especially now that partying had entered the chat). 

One day, my pharmacist told my Mum about the new clinic he was starting: Perth Diabetes Care. He said that they were launching a committee for people who lived with diabetes, who would meet regularly and run events. This pharmacist, Jeff, badgered my Mum relentlessly to get me to come to one of the committee’s events, and eventually I did.

While I can’t remember the exact name of the event, I remember vividly one of the members of the committee standing up and sharing her story about managing diabetes in her formative years- how she travelled, partied & worked with diabetes; the mistakes she made, the support she received, and the lessons she learned along the way.

That night, I met countless other people with whom I had a shared experience… something that I had never felt in all my years growing up with type 1. I ended up joining the committee and attending all the events since. I started being more open about my diabetes with my friends and family, and even started my own diabetes Instagram page.

That was ten years ago.

Today, I am a passionate voice in the online diabetes community, I work at PDC running a peer support program for women with diabetes on their journey to motherhood, and I have a plethora of diabetes management knowledge that I simply would not have if it weren’t for the information I gleaned at the events I’ve attended over the years.

Next week, I’ll be part of the team who are putting on the PDC Diabetes & Health Expo. And while the Expo will have countless perks, (I’m talking presentations from experts, stalls from all the major tech companies, free health checks & goodie bags) perhaps the most valuable part of it all can’t be bought: a chance for connection with the diabetes community.

Who knows where that might lead you! 

‍