I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on January 19, 1999, at a small clinic in my hometown of Bridgetown, Barbados. On this morning in January, my life changed in such an unusual way. A simple visit to our family doctor – not for myself, but for my Nan! – resulted in a urine sample…
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T1D Mastery helps people master type 1 diabetes by navigating the overwhelming amount of diabetes information, and delivering it in a way that sticks! Since becoming a parent I’ve had to make my own type 1 more of a priority, which can be hard at times with two young children. Thanks to the support I…
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Hey everyone, my name is Ben. I’m 24 years of age and I’m a surfer and a Physiotherapy student, and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 11. As a competitive surfer with type 1 diabetes, good management is crucial to being able to focus on my long-term goals, upcoming contests, and…
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My name is Mellissa and I am 23 years old. I have been living with type 1 diabetes for the past seven years. It has taken seven years for me to get to a point where I no longer am afraid of my disease. I had lived in fear for so long – fear of…
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Much of this is based on my own journey and in observations and conversations with family, friends, and First Nations people I’ve encountered in my professional, personal and cultural lives. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes back in 2014, and it’s been a difficult journey to discover what my condition was, what it was…
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I was accepted into my nutrition course around the same time I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (I was diagnosed August 2015 at age 24). When I graduated, I wanted to create a space where women can find balance within their lives through nutrition and wellbeing. I went through many ideas within diet culture…
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Shaina Hatchell, BSN, RN, CDCES, is the author of Shia Learns and a recent Beta Change Minisode guest based in Washington, D.C. I am a strong believer that my talents and life story are not for me. There is triumph in speaking about my life and using what some may see as my pain to…
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In Latin America and in my country, Mexico, there is a lot of misinformation, taboos, and a general lack of education about diabetes – just as it happens around the world. Thanks to this attitude in our society, shame and silence come hand in hand for many people with a diabetes diagnosis. The situation worsens…
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Dear Beta Change, Do you know that song from the Miss USA pageants (“You’re one in a million” by Bosson)? Well, that’s sure how I felt when I was diagnosed with insulin allergy on top of having type 1 diabetes. It’s a very rare condition, with only 0.1% of insulin-requiring people also living with an…
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This year marks sixteen years since I was diagnosed with diabetes. I am now 32 years old, a teacher, the editor of Diastyl magazine – my country’s only diabetes magazine published by the IDF member organization VAZ Diabetiku Ceské Republiky – and above all, the mother of a two-year-old son. I still remember the day…
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Beta Change 