After a busy summer, we find ourselves once again transitioning into a new season with the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) bristling with activity. It’s back-to-school time for one thing, unfortunately complicated by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
The array of great posts from September 2021 are as diverse and beautiful as the changing fall colors. Whatever the platform — blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or media coverage around the world — there’s quite a bit to take note of. Here’s a look at some of our fave posts from this past month, in no particular order:
Latinx Heritage Month began on Sept. 15 and ends Oct. 15. Our friends at Beyond Type 1 published this important piece recognizing Latinx leaders in the diabetes space.
Back to school season always brings a bunch of diabetes-related talk, whether it be for secondary schools or college campuses — the latter includes the drinking and type 1 diabetes (T1D) discussion, too. Joslin Diabetes Center also offered some specific diabetes-related COVID-19 advice on face masks and vaccines for those returning to school or university.
A high school swimmer in Colorado found himself pulled from a competitive swim meet because he happened to be wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) at the time. There’s a new lawsuit filed over this, and D-Mom Stacey Simms got the inside scoop on what happened by interviewing the teenager Ethan Orr and his mom on this Diabetes Connections podcast.
At Milan Fashion Week in Italy, the Diabetes Community along with the fashion world got to see Lila Moss — daughter of legendary model Kate Moss — walk down the Versace and Fendi runway not only sporting beautiful attire, but also her Omnipod tubeless insulin pump on her upper thigh. There are many posts from around the DOC on this, as well as this Women’s Health Magazine article.
There’s a new #seecolor campaign launched by the nonprofit Diversity in Diabetes group, to shed light on the importance of seeing and celebrating everyone’s individuality. This was announced during the org’s second virtual People of Color Living with Diabetes Summit in mid-September, which featured a “Voices of the People” theme. Make sure to check out the online presentations from the 3-day event, as well as the YouTube video for the #seecolor campaign.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, and that has a special meaning for longtime Indiana D-peep Rick Phillips, who vividly recalls being diagnosed with T1D in 1974 just before his 17th birthday while visiting the Orlando, Florida, theme park. He’s commemorated that with a very cool piece of Diabetes By Design artwork, as a reminder of his own diagnosis — and also that you’re “never too old” to be diagnosed with diabetes. Check out the artwork below!
With football season back in action, we enjoyed listening to the recent Diabetics Doing Things podcast featuring an interview with NFL kicker Elliott Fry, who lives with T1D.
100 Years of Us. With 2021 being the 100th anniversary of insulin’s discovery, our community is sharing stories of how we’ve all been touched by that remarkable medical milestone. The nonprofit Children with Diabetes is collecting stories from around the DOC, of the great array of people who are alive today because of that discovery by Drs. Frederick Banting and Charles Best a century ago. Make sure to share your own story and follow along with others by following the hashtag #100yearsofus.
Global advocacy group T1International has created this YouTube digital demonstration showcasing a recent campaign centered on the shocking statistic that 1 in 2 people with diabetes can’t access the insulin they need. Many are sharing images online using the #insulin4all hashtag.
Brava magazine recently featured “portraits of child loss,” including a mention of Wisconsin D-Mom Michelle Bauer, who many in the DOC may recall lost her son Jesse in 2010 to complications of T1D. The heartache never goes away, but it’s inspiring to see what Michelle has done to make a difference in her son’s name. Be sure to give this article a read.
We’re huge fans of Dr. Jennifer Dyer, a pediatric endocrinologist in Ohio who never shies away from sharing her voice when it comes to the realities of living with diabetes. Listen to her on this recent 2TypeOne’s podcast, discussing her point of view as part of a care team of kids and teens who live with this condition.
“It takes a village” to raise a child, and also to support people living with a complicated condition like T1D. Thanks to @DiabeticDietitian Kelly Schmidt in Ohio for sharing this wonderful graphic on Instagram illustrating the gaps in patient support. She writes: “Our healthcare system isn’t designed with time in mind. Newly diagnosed and longstanding patients are bombarded with handouts and confusing learning curves. Not to mention the cost.”
Anyone watching the new Netflix series “On the Verge” starring Elisabeth Shue may recognize another face, that of a local market worker who appears in episode 11. Yes, it’s our D-Community’s own Kevin Covais, who lives with T1D and hails from American Idol fame years back. He flagged his new acting gig on Facebook after the series premiered in September, and wants to hear from DOC viewers about whether he’s convincing enough as a character who sells fish.
Sometimes it isn’t the diabetes! You can always count on D-peep Renza Scibilia in Australia to share an honest, straight-from-the-heart perspective over at her long-running Diabetogenic blog. Her recent post on women’s health is no exception, particularly as it delves into her own personal experiences and how the medical community must do better in listening to women who live with diabetes when they describe what they’re going through.
We share our favorites each month, and would love to include yours, too! Please ping DiabetesMine on social media at @DiabetesMineNews on Instagram, @DiabetesMine on Twitter, or on our Facebook page.