Thriveabetes; The Thrive with Type 1 Diabetes Conference
Have you ever imagined being in a room with almost 100 people who live with type 1 diabetes?
It happened at the Thriveabetes conference on Saturday October 2015 in Maynooth, Co. Kildare and again in 2016 and again in 2018.
Thriveabetes was created specifically for adults living with type 1 diabetes, and for parents of children with type 1 diabetes. It is the only type 1 diabetes conference completely organised by people living with type 1 diabetes for people with type 1 diabetes. 190 people attended, divided evenly between the two groups in 2015 and again in 2016 with 64 children. It was an amazing, empowering and positive day.
The focus of the conference topics was helping people with type 1 diabetes cope more effectively with the daily challenges of living with diabetes and the emotional side of living with a chronic illness. It was about tapping into peer support and forming a type 1 diabetes community.
One delegate said, “The conference was aimed at people who experience diabetes. Usually diabetes events aim to tell you what you should do (or are doing wrong!), not to allow the people who experience the condition (and their family) talk openly and candidly about it.”
The success of the event and the positive feedback that we have received has prompted us to set up a website devoted to this event becoming a regular event, you can visit us at www.thriveabetes.ie
