Would you like to volunteer abroad and help people with diabetes?

I came across this group at a diabetes conference and not only do they have an interesting story but they also offer people with diabetes an interesting opportunity to volunteer abroad with people with diabetes.

I've checked with the organisation and they have said that you do not need to be living in the US to volunteer and in the past people from Ireland have volunteered with them. :-)

They are called AYUDA; American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad. The organisation was created in 1996, by two teenagers, Nick Cuttriss and his friend Jesse Fuchs-Simon. They were 14, when they met José Gabriel, an eight year old boy who lived in Quito, Ecuador.

José Gabriel, was six-months-old when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1984. Eight years later, despite spending most of the family's income on his diabetes supplies, José's parents saw his health decline again. In an effort to understand what had gone wrong, José's family raised money for him to travel to see a diabetes specialist.

They discovered José and his parents had never received guidance regarding the management of the boy's condition and that José's blood sugar levels were not being managed correctly. For José and his parents, and for many other young people with diabetes, particularly in developing countries, the lack of diabetes education is as dangerous as a lack of insulin.

Nick and Jesse envisioned a youth-led organization that would educate young people with diabetes about diabetes issues, and help empower them to work effectively for positive change.

AYUDA's initial objective was to help with the need for basic diabetes education in Ecuador.Volunteers set up diabetes support groups in the corridors of a public hospital in Quito. These groups offered educational workshops and provided a forum for knowledge sharing. 

Since 1996, they have also recognised that the cost of diabetes supplies was making it impossible for many children in developing countries to manage their condition optimally and so they set about creating and managing diabetes supply banks. It costs approximately 3000 USD per year to care for a child with diabetes; the average income for a family of four in many Latin American countries is less than 1000 USD per year.

With the help of partners such as Insulin for Life, AYUDA works to ensure that families with limited resources receive essential daily supplies, such as insulin, syringes, and test strips at subsidized prices or free of charge. 

For more information on AYUDA and volunteering opportunities, visit the website at www.ayudainc.net or email info@ayudainc.net. They are now accepting applications for their 2016 projects in the Dominican Republic.

Diabetes Mother need support not hate!

I've just written a letter to the Editor of the Irish Times in response to the public reaction to the article linked below. I can't stop thinking about this woman and here's why;

"Sir,

I read "Diabetic girl must be given insulin despite mother’s stance" (2nd October) late last night and I thought about this woman going to bed. I awakened early and she was the first thought that entered my head.

Isn't it conceivable that this woman is so desperate, so exhausted and so depleted of hope that there could be any positive outcome from a type 1 diabetes diagnosis that it has rendered her paralyzed to help herself or her daughter?  Isn't it conceivable that while she "knew very well the importance of insulin" her personal experiences have coloured her view of insulin to the point of apparent ignorance?

Maybe we should see this woman as somebody who needs support and is every bit as much of a patient affected by type 1 diabetes as her daughter is.  Studies have shown that the more supported and informed a mother feels the better the outcomes of the child with type 1 diabetes. It seems to me that this woman is in desperate need of support - peer, emotional, and psychological.

I'm asking the Irish type 1 diabetes community to do what I know you do best. I'm asking you to reach out to a fellow parent at their time of diagnosis. Do you remember what you needed at that time? Can we offer that help to her?

Lets offer her shoulders to cry on, offer to stand with her shoulder to shoulder, holding her up and guiding towards hope for a better future for her daughter. Let's share our diabetes stories with her and show her it's possible.  Lets share our challenges and triumphs of living with type 1 diabetes.  Let's tell her that we know living with type 1 diabetes is difficult and sometimes unbearable but that it's not always like that.

Lets not shame her because we ALL know that shaming and blaming does NOT accomplish anything, especially in life with type 1 diabetes.

Sincerely,
Gráinne Flynn"

I'm M.I.A.

Not really! But you can find me over here at Thrive-abetes.

New Diabetes Products I came across at FFL 2015

The exhibit hall was huge at the Friends for Life (FFL) 2015 conference. I wrote a little about the whole FFL experience a couple of weeks ago which you can read about here.

While wandering, meeting people and talking to the company representives, I came across a couple of products I had not seen before. In the interest of sharing with people in Ireland I thought I would document them.

One of the last items I came across but one I have actually used since I got it is;

A Pump Key.

A wha, you ask! Well, this is a multi-purpose tool, but it is specifically designed to open the battery compartment of your insulin pump, instead of using a 5c coin, so you can replace your pump's battery.

Now fancy that!

I say that it's multi-purpose because it helped free my daughter from being locked into a hotel bathroom.

She also said that it was the most adorable thing she has ever seen!

It's available from Cute Diabetes Nik Naks. The Pump Keys cost $20.00 Australian Dollars (€13) and shipping to Ireland costs are $2.75 - $10.00, that's Australian Dollars, depending how many products are ordered. 

BD AutoShield™ Duo Pen Needle

This is another smart idea. I have stabbed myself with my needles a couple of times and it's usually a bloody mess. Those things are sharp and create a lot of blood when used accidentally.

So a shielded needle for insulin pens, to me, sounds like a great idea. Here's a video on how it works.

The BD AutoSheild Duo is available in Ireland. However, it is not available through the GMS (General Medical Services Scheme (GMS - medical cards) but I understand patients have been able to seek LTI (Long Term Illness) cover under compassionate grounds.

It's worth noting that BD also make a device that clips the needle off your insulin pen needle for safe disposal. This device is called the BD Safe-Clip, as well as many other items we use for diabetes. I also noticed that my lancet devices that comes with my One Touch Verio IQ blood glucose meter is made by BD!

I also came across stickers for your Insulin Pens from Lilly and stickers from Pump Peelz for Insulin Pumps.

Diabetes complications are real! Let's talk about it

What would happen to me if I had to face one of my biggest fears? I'm absolutely petrified of diabetes complications.

I used to think that if I lost my sight and could not see my children anymore that it would be the last straw for me. I would imagine finding it very difficult to find a way to "power through".

But meeting Kimberly Hislop taught me that I would probably face it like I do my diabetes-head on.

I met Kimberly at the MasterLab Diabetes Advocacy conference in July, where she touched so many lives. She is a powerful advocate for diabetes and I'm sharing her guest post on SixUntilMe because her message should be shared.

Diabetes complications are real. I think because soooo many people tell us about their relatives who've lost limbs to diabetes, that in an act of rebellion, we overcompensate with positivity. This makes people with complications feel like they're letting the side down. But the truth is, diabetes complications do happen, and we need to talk about them!

Photo of Kim & me at MasterLabs July 2015

Terrible photography! Myself & Kim.

Thanks Kim for your bravery and starting the conversation!

SeaPeptide Adventures; for People w/Diabetes who want to do amazingly adventurous things!

I was very fortunate to attend the MasterLab for Diabetes Advocates Conference 2015 on a scholarship from the Diabetes Hands Foundation. I was also fortunate to have someone nice to share a room with, who was also a scholarship winner.

I had advance warning of who my room mate was going to be - enough warning to googled her. I love Google but this was one of the few instances where google let me down. 

All I found on Erin Spinetto, was that in 2014, she led the Sea Peptide Swimmers, the first ever all type 1 diabetic team to complete the 12.5-mile Swim Around Key West and In 2011, she sailed solo 100 miles down the Florida Keys after doctors told her I couldn't sail alone with diabetes. This was a significant achievement!

That was only the tip of the iceberg. Upon our brief "Hi, I'm ....." I realised that this lady is a serious adventurer, sporty type! The complete opposite of me the dowdy housewife.

But we did have a lot in common - our passion for living well, actually, thriving with type 1 diabetes.

She had just come directly from North Carolina where the lead a team of Stand Up Paddle Boarders on a 100 mile paddle!!! I feel so fortunate that she was able to hold a conversation with me.

Erin lives in San Diego, California, is married with two children. She is a science teacher and, as we mentioned, an adventurer.

She is also an author! In January 2013, she published her book "Islands and Insulin", where she chronicles her solo sailing adventures and the ups and downs of life as a diabetic. In Islands and Insulin, Erin sails a 22 foot sailboat down the Florida Keys as she fights winds, currents and swells that threaten to capsize the boat.

What Erin is doing now? She has founded the Sea Peptide Adventure Academy, a home for people with diabetes who are doing, or want to do, amazingly adventurous things.

Sea Peptide Adventure Academy runs an 8-week email based training program that shows you, step-by-step, how to choose, plan, and execute an adventure and how to use adventure to alleviate the stress of a chronic disease like diabetes.

If you would like to find out more about Erin and Sea Peptide Adventures, she explains in this live interview by the Diabetes Hands Foundation.