#iCan share my experience with others

I know it’s something that I frequently say, but it’s because I believe it to be true. ‘That when people with diabetes come together, something great happens’. I feel that this is a statement that needs further explanation with regard to where it’s come from. It’s that no matter which stage of my diabetes I was transitioning from or into, whether that was as a child in diabetes clinic, being a teenager or as an adult. I had an instant connection with other people with diabetes when we shared our experience with each other. I found that conversation becomes easy because you’re speaking to someone who just knows and just understands and there’s a great benefit in that.

As a child when I was diagnosed with diabetes, my paediatric clinic used to take all of the children in the clinic on away days to theme parks. I would look forward to these days for weeks because I could just be ‘normal’ for the day. You might not say it or even consciously think it as someone with diabetes. But I’ve realised recently as an adult that when I sit down at a dinner table with other people with diabetes, I instantly relax and feel at ease, because they’re all doing their finger prick test/ insulin/ carb counting as me too.

My teenage years were a confusing time where diabetes was concerned. Although I had many friends, they didn’t have the condition, so looking back it felt like there was something missing with regards to people to talk to who understood. Although I’m not that old, this was before the days of social media, especially twitter. So you couldn’t just log on and tweet or post your frustration about your diabetes and get a response from someone else going through the same thing, whether that is on your doorstep or on the other side of the world.

But social media and the ‘social effect’ that it has on diabetes is made all the more powerful by the Internet. It’s a way of giving support (Blue Circle) to others with the condition, it’s a way to find out information on what’s going on around the world (World Diabetes Day) and a way to reach and share experiences (this blog). Diabetes UK have noticed this and as a result gave us young people the opportunity to create a series of videos under the banner of #Type1Uncut. The videos are available to watch on the #Type1Uncut you-tube channel and are a real look at the daily experiences of living with diabetes. They’re also an opportunity for you to get involved too and upload your own v-log (video blog) about your experience of diabetes. So happy sharing of your experiences!