I've been on the radio before as part of my role as a Diabetes UK media ambassador, the most nerve wracking experience up until this weekend was when I did live radio on the day of my torch bearing ceremony. It was over the phone and I was scared in case I said the wrong thing. It must of gone okay though as they still let me carry the Olympic flame.
This radio interview I found out about only the day before, so there wasn't too much time in which to get nervous. So I travelled down to the BBC studio's early on the Saturday morning. It was really exciting arriving at the studio's and signing in prior to the show. I was going to be on a program called 'Good Morning Wales', that is a news and human interest show that's on every Saturday morning. After sitting in the waiting room because of arriving early, we were shown to the production room. Which was like being in what I imagine a real newsroom to be. There were many TV's on all showing different type's of UK news and a whole production team getting everything ready for the show.
I was also in the production room with Dr Chris- a pharmacist who has spent much of his professional career looking into the financial and economic outcomes of diabetes on thing's such as the NHS. But despite looking into the not so patient sided part of diabetes. He was very understanding of diabetes from a patient perspective. We were to be on the show together so as to be able to give a balanced view on the topic to be discussed. Which was that there was a report released on the news that said that despite the NICE guidelines saying to the contrary that there was a lack of availability of insulin pumps in some areas of Wales. The headline is particularly disturbing because there is a great need for the pumps to be provided for children. And the fact that children shouldn't be penalised just because they live in an area where a health board can't afford to provide them.
Good Morning Wales had already started before we arrived, so we joined the air not long after a live debate about the new high speed train's to be built. Myself, Chris, the radio presenter Gareth and his production assistant were all sat around the table with big microphones in front of us and big ear phones on our heads. Through which we could hear the radio show being broadcast and the questions being asked. As I mentioned, I was there to give a patients perspective of what it's like firstly to have type 1 diabetes and need insulin and also what it's like to have an insulin pump. As I've had one for the last 5 years.
If you'd like to have a listen to the interview it's available below and my interview on insulin pump's is about 45 minutes in:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
It was a brilliant experience being on the radio, and I was really pleased to do my best to represent young people with insulin pumps in what I hope was a positive way. And to show that whilst insulin injections are okay if that's what you choose, insulin pump's are what work closest to our natural pancreas'.
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