Diabetes Community

Meredith & I at the Type 1 Diabetes Meme Page Booth
 in Guelph, Ont. 

I am always amazed by the diabetes community.  Sometimes I think about what it would be like if I had never been diagnosed with diabetes and honestly, the first thing that comes to my mind is the thought of not knowing the people that I've met through diabetes.  It seems worth all the needles, vials of insulin, finger pricks and ups and down when I think about all of the amazing people that I have met because of my diabetes.

The thing about the diabetes community that amazes me the most is the thought of how caring they are to one another despite never meeting each other.  There are a lot of Facebook groups that gather type one diabetic communities whether that be mothers, fathers, or type one's themselves. These communities share stories around the clock, ask for advice, reach out to one another and give so much hope, inspiration and peace of mind to total strangers whose one connection is life with diabetes.

This year has been a big year for me.  The past four years I have met a lot of type one diabetics in person and online.  However, this year with all of the upcoming travels I will get the opportunity to meet type one diabetics from around the world - something that I have done via internet but not in person.  I am excited to expand my diabetes community and grow within it.  I know that they all have stories of success as well as failure that myself and others can learn from.

I look forward to documenting what I learn from the diabetic community. I also look forward to creating new memories with them and hopefully helping them in some form or another.

Kayla