I thought my twenty-seventh diaversary would be a good opportunity to collate all diaversary posts over the years in one place.
Here’s an edited version of what I wrote on LinkedIn to commemorate this new level:
Today is my twenty-seventh diaversary. Twenty-seven years of T1D.
That’s twenty-seven years of living without functioning beta cells and constantly having to replicate what they once did. I wish I could tell you I have it all worked out after 9,862 days, but I’d be lying. If you don’t have T1D, stop right now and realise just how flawlessly that part of your body is working for you!
I have written extensively about what it means to live with T1D, and how my experiences shape everything from the multitude of decisions I have to make each day, the challenges I face, the humour in diabetes (yes, really!) and the people who have supported me along the way. I’ve written about the importance of language and communication, the value of peer support, how mental health care is diabetes care, and the gaps in our health systems that add to the daily burden of diabetes.
But for today, I want to focus on what I’d like everyone to know. Most of the people I’m connected with on LinkedIn work in the diabetes space across healthcare, health policy, medical technologies and research. But what I have to say goes beyond the diabetes landscape. It’s certainly applicable to any health condition. In fact, it’s relevant to anyone working with any community.
Here’s what I want you to know:
People with lived experience of diabetes hold expertise that no one else does. What we offer cannot be found in a textbook or an academic journal (unless, of course, we have authored or co-authored the article). It can’t be found in a report done by a market research company or in clinical trial summaries. Unless you are directly engaging in meaningful ways and codesigning your work with people with diabetes, you are missing a whole layer of insight and truth. Imagine putting together a diabetes education program and not speaking with diabetes educators. We know that wouldn’t happen. (And it shouldn’t!)
Living with diabetes is a daily act of advocacy and my endless advocacy is to not only push for the best care and access, but also to encourage those in the diabetes ecosystem to understand that our expertise cannot be replicated or replaced. To value our expertise and experience and recognise the brilliance of it. No one else can do what we do. We’re pretty damn amazing like that!
#NothingAboutUsWithoutUs
Previous writings to celebrate, commiserate and commemorate my diaversary over the years:
Diabetogenic 