It’s difficult to believe all the goods things that have happened to me through Blood Sugar Trampoline this year, and with all the other diabetes related stuff that I do. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.
Every year, when I write my Christmas cards, I include a letter with a bit of a summary of what our family has been up to for the year. When your family lives on two continents it’s important to keep the connection in this way.
It was while I was writing this letter that I realise just how much has happened to me this year because of blogging and volunteering. Here is some of my favourite highlights from 2016;
May - Participated in my first Diabetes Blog Week with 130 diabetes bloggers from ALL over the world. Thank you Karen from Bitter Sweet Diabetes.
May - I was invited to attend the Future Health Summit, Dublin as a Patient Speaker. I gave a presentation on how I became an empowered patient which I later transposed into a blog post.
June - Diabetes Ireland and Diabetes T One Delegation to the Dail.
I was invited to be part of the Diabetes Ireland and Diabetes T One Delegation to the Dail. This was a huge honour for me. And the moment where I truly felt that we, in Ireland, have a hell of a diabetes online community.
At the briefing, we asked the 42 public representatives who attended to commit to developing a multi-year financial plan to implement the services required for all people with diabetes in Ireland. Starting with approving a request for an additional €5 million per year to implement all the recommendations on the Paediatric Diabetes Model of Care, improving not only the quality of life for all children and teenagers with diabetes but for their families also.
Maybe this would be a good time to give our TD’s and Senators a little reminder of this?
September - I won the Littlewoods Ireland Blog Awards Bronze Award for Best Blog Post. This Cinderella didn’t go to this ball though. In fact, she didn’t even write the award winning post :-O hubby did and that makes it all the more special. Plus, he said some really nice things about me, excuse me a minute while I give that post a quick read again;-)
October - The second Thriveabetes took place bring the online community offline for one day and It. Was. AMAZING!
November - Medtronic Diabetes Community Exchange Conference in Barcelona. My very first blogger conference. I met some great and wonderful european diabetes bloggers. It was a brand new world.
NOT TO FORGET the random and wonderful meetings with members of the Global DOC Anna Norton, Gina Gaudefroy and being part of the Type 1 Adult Diabetes meetup in April!!!! (PS hubby says when someone from the DOC says they’d like to meet up I should drop everything and go. Not sure he realises what that means for him:-O )
How is it possible that something as frustrating and mind consuming as diabetes can bring all of this adventure and support.
Thank you, all of you, for your support, motivation, comfort and joy.
Happy Christmas! Gráinne