I’ve been working for the JDCA for almost 10 months (wow, time flies!) and whenever I get asked what I do, the conversation quickly moves from my responsibilities (writing, marketing, social media, editing, pretty much anything that needs to get done) to “so what is type 1 diabetes anyway?”
I smile and usually begin the conversation by saying “Well, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the pancreas does not produce insulin. It is not the same as type 2 diabetes which is a metabolic disorder. People are often diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as children which is why it’s also referred to as juvenile diabetes. But you can become diagnosed at any age. My uncle was diagnosed at 40.” Then, I pause and evaluate the attention span and interest of the person who asked the question. If they seem engaged and not desperately looking for a way out of the conversation, I start talking about beta cells and little bit more into the science of type 1 diabetes and the JDCA’s mission.
So my question to Stoyan, Nick, Drew and others who have type 1diabetes or a family member with type 1 diabetes is, how do you explain what type 1 diabetes is when asked?
Thinking about this blog post prompted me to create a Diabetes Resources page on the JDCA website. The JDCA’s mission is to empower donors and the first step in making a difference of any kind is knowledge.
What resources were useful to you when you were first diagnosed or looking for support?
(I apologize for asking so many questions in this blog post, but I know that the community is much more knowledgeable than I am. My first grade teacher said that the only stupid question is the one not asked so I tend to ask a lot of questions. I like to think that questions are an integral part of any learning process)
The first entry in our General Diabetes Resources section is the College Diabetes Network. I had the pleasure of being introduced to the founder of CDN, Christina Roth, a few weeks ago in an effort to help both of our young organizations grow. College is a very stressful transition for many students as they leave home for the first time and embark on a new phase of their lives. It is a time when you are growing physically, emotionally, socially and academically. The College Diabetes Network is a great resource for students to find support, information, job opportunities and more (Spoiler Alert: We will be featuring Christina in an interview in the near future…stay tuned!).
Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend.
Cara
