“My name is Addison. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 10 months ago. I have to take insulin every single time I eat for the rest of my life. Too little insulin can make me very sick; too much insulin can kill me. To dose correctly, every time I have to inject insulin I have to consider my activity level, current blood glucose level, and how many carbs I plan to eat. I wear a continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump to help keep me alive. Type 1 diabetes (what used to be called juvenile diabetes) does not run in my family. Before I was diagnosed, I didn’t even know anyone with T1D. It is an autoimmune disease. Nothing I ate caused it. Nothing could have stopped it. I never thought one day I would wake up sick and never get better. Now, I wear blue to raise awareness for the 1.25 million type 1 warriors in the U.S.” @type1tough_addi
]]>“Our daughter, Coral, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 15 months old and was in diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) - a day later she would’ve gone into a diabetic coma and died. T1d is a chronic life-threatening autoimmune disease where the body attacks the beta cells in the pancreas making that person insulin dependent for life. Without working insulin, your body’s blood builds up acidic ketones from burning fat instead of glucose for energy, affecting every organ in your body. Immediate hospitalization and IV fluids and insulin are needed to survive. There is no known cure for T1d yet. You cannot reverse, outgrow or prevent it. Nothing we did caused it - not due to poor lifestyle choices or lack of exercise. T1ds need insulin to live either by multiple daily injections (MDI) or insulin pump therapy. They must poke their fingers [or toes for young children] to check their blood glucose 8-10 times daily. They must count every gram of carbohydrate to calculate the precise amount of insulin they need prior to eating. We work extremely hard 24/7/365 to make sure she continues to stay alive and thrive despite this beast of a disease. She can do and eat anything non-diabetics can with careful planning. She’s been using an insulin pump since 2017 and a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor (CGM) since 2016. T1d won’t stop her from having fun! Learn more on our blog at Typeonediabetic-life.com” @type1diabetic_life & @t1disabeach
]]>“Hi, my name is Sepehr and I’m 26 years old. I am wearing my A.W.A.R.E necklace all day everyday to raise awareness for Autism and Type 1 diabetes. I teach students and kids who are living and impacted by Autism spectrum disorder and I have beloved ones who are fighting day to day with type 1 diabetes. I am hoping with more awareness and education we will be able to create a world that accepts and values everyone equally and unconditionally. I believe raising awareness can help solve any issues.” @sep.93
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“Hey y’all! My name is Brynlee Green and on January 28, 2018, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Man, if diabetes had a face, there’s a few things I would like to say to or ask it. Things like, “why me?” or “why did I deserve this?” That was my main thought process when I was newly diagnosed. I was in the middle of eighth grade when it happened. The frequent urination, constant thirst, endless tiredness, and great amounts of weight loss were noticeable, but yet I acted as if nothing was wrong. I didn’t know anything about diabetes during the time. One night, my mother decided to have me do a finger prick. My blood sugar was 496, and 30 minutes later at the hospital, it had gone up to 640. I wear this necklace to show that no matter what obstacles you encounter, what illnesses you endure, that you can overcome it, being stronger than you were before it. To me, being aware means that I know i’m diabetic and I’ve excepted it. That I can go about my day, knowing I’m strong because I fight for tomorrow. Even with the fancy equipment sticking to my skin for everyone to see, I know i’m beautiful and I love to show off my difference. Diabetes is such a misunderstood illness, and I want to help people become more aware of it.” @typeonebryn
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“My name is Giulia Petrolo and I'm diabetic type 1 since 2001. I was 9 when I was diagnosed. My mum was worried because I lost weight and I was always thirsty, unfortunately she was right. The teenage years were horrible and I had a lot of problems with food. Now that I'm 27, I decided to not care what people could think and start using the Omnipod insulin pump and the Dexcom for continuous glucose monitor. Summer and beach days are near and I will start a new life by living my disease in freedom and trying to accept the good may also exist in something as heavy as a chronic illness.” @typetra_1
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