The summer months are quickly rolling by and we’re done with another July. And boy — has this been a busy one in the Diabetes Online Community (DOC)!
The range of hot summer topics runs from the 20th anniversary of the big CWD Friends For Life conference in Florida, to newly announced changes in diabetes advocacy leadership, to controversial diabetes messages out in the general public that have some in the D-Community a bit steamed. Not to mention all the frank talk, good and bad, on diabetes life and even a marriage proposal by one of our own on Instagram!
Here’s a roundup of the posts that caught our eye this month, in no particular order:
Thousands gathered in Orlando, FL, in mid-July for the annual Friends For Life conference. This was a particularly big year as it was the 20th such conference held by the Children with Diabetes organization! We have our own FFL recap coming soon (based on Mike’s experiences there), but in the meantime we loved these blog posts by Stephen Shaul at Happy-Medium and Michelle Auerbach at Love, Light & Insulin. You can also see many more FFL posts online by checking out the hashtag #FFLorlando19.
Many were shocked by the news that longtime diabetes advocate Christel Marchand Aprigliano will be stepping down as CEO of the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC) org that she founded in early 2015. We certainly appreciate all she’s done for our D-Community, and we know we’re better off for having her and DPAC in our corner. Sending Christel all the best as she moves on to the next chapter! And awaiting word on who will take over the helm at DPAC…
Not everything is always happy and shiny when it comes to life with diabetes, and Renza in Australia shares that in technicolor a recent post over at her Diabetogenic blog. We love her POV on balancing everything, and we also found ourselves nodding to the similar theme in her “Sum Total” post about the positive and not-so-positive feelings that come with medical appointments. Thanks for keeping it real, Renza!
A mid-July heatwave swept across most of the USA, and in true form the online community had some fun with that in many different places — including in the Diabuddies group on FB. Many pointed out how their blood sugars and CGM data trends were equal to (or lower than!) the temps outside. Ah, once again the weather makes diabetes even more entertaining at times! 🙂
In the mood for a little diabetes poetry? This one titled “I Used To Sleep” by Andrea Mourad at Beyond Type 1 may be just what you need for that poetic fix for the soul.
There are some great diabetes-themed shirts out there, and this one created by Shaw (@Typeonederful_) caught our eye recently and brought a smile — especially when we saw it in person being worn by our Diet Coke-loving friend Scott Johnson at a D-conference this month.
Burnout is a struggle for many of us in the D-Community, but it’s not always clear when and how that will manifest itself. We very much appreciated this “Slightly Smouldering” post by Chris Aldred at The Grumpy Pumper, who shares his perspective on those feelings as of late. Sending you hugs in and the will to keep that smoldering from turning into full-flamed burnout, Brother!
As tough and bleak as D-Life can be at times, we love the message of “There’s a Rainbow after the Rain with Diabetes” captured in this blog post by the T1D folk over at AcT1ve Diabetes PH, based in the Philippines.
Over in Philadelphia, an ad campaign rubbed some in the Diabetes Community the wrong way. “Today’s afternoon snack could be tomorrow’s diabetes,” the ad’s voice-over states. (Ugh). Huge roadside billboards echoed the theme, targeting sugary snacks that overweight kids eat and the risk of type 2 diabetes (although the ad actually didn’t distinguish types). Cue the outrage in social media posts and official responses, as well as a Change.org petition with thousands of signatures calling for the campaign/billboard to be scrapped. So yeah, there’s that… (*shaking head*). While it’s a frustrating topic, though, we appreciated the humor sprinkled onto it by D-Mom Rachael Lockwood who has three kiddos with T1D, and their “These DONUT CAUSE T1D” photo fun on their family blog, Extra Kids With a Dog on the Side.
Early in the month, there was also something dubbed the “Doreen Debacle” that involved a journalist making an online comment about her disgust at seeing a man with diabetes giving himself an injection in public. The DOC responded, and in the end the woman named Doreen apologized and admitted how little she’d understood about T1D when the incident occurred. An awareness raising D-moment, indeed!
We’re huge fans of the illustrative work of Janina in England, who goes by “Miss Diabetes” on social media. She’s done some incredible diabetes-themed drawings, and most recently it’s been fun to see her creating comic-style avatars for some well-known Instagram D-advocates, like @t1Dchick Jillian Rippolone. Very cool indeed!
Can an athlete with type 1 diabetes make the Olympic Track Team? Well, 20-something Kate Hall from Maine — a longtime type 1 — is a record-holding sprinter and jumper and she wants to become the first American to do so. This Runner’s World article shares Kate’s story and what she hopes to accomplish.
Last but certainly not least, huge congrats to D-peep Rob Howe (@robhowe21) from Diabetics Doing Things who proposed to his girlfriend this past month and is now engaged to be married. Wishing you two all the best as you start this next chapter together!
So that’s what is on our radar for July 2019. How about you, D-friends?
Please keep your eyes peeled for your own favorite posts each month, and send us your picks via email or on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. We look forward to hearing from you!