Preparations for Diabetes Week Well Underway!

As I alluded to in my blog about the #Type1Uncut weekend, the theme of this years Diabetes Week, from Diabetes UK is going to be #iCan. If you've ever read one of my blogs before, this is a sentiment that I completely agree with as far as diabetes is concerned. So a few weeks ago Diabetes UK Cymru got in touch to see if I might like to continue with my media ambassadorial volunteering duties for the upcoming event of Diabetes Week.

This week through Diabetes UK I was contacted by the South Wales Echo - the regional newspaper for where I live, to do an interview to build up some momentum for Diabetes Week and to introduce the topic of #iCan. This years Diabetes Week takes place on the second week of June - 8th to the 14th in the UK and is an opportunity for people with and without diabetes to raise awareness of the condition and join together to fundraise, have fun and spread a positive message about what it's like to live with it.

#iCan is a great idea for a concept/ theme for Diabetes Week, you might remember that last years theme was science and research. I found it really interesting finding out where the medication that we now use to treat diabetes came from and in which direction the future of research might be going. However, #iCan is a great opportunity for everyone with diabetes, no matter which type, to take the stage and say yes I have diabetes, no it doesn't stop me... therefore 'I Can'. This was the message that I delivered during my interview with the reporter from the Echo. The nice woman that I spoke to asked me a bit about my history of living with diabetes and how this message of #iCan came to be part of my life too. She also asked me what I was doing with my message in order to help others.

The day after the interview I met with the Echo/ Wales online photographer Peter at my local athletics track to take some still images for the newspaper and some video footage for online. It was a very unusual experience, not because the photo-shoot was odd but because the university where my track is based, were celebrating an annual event called drink the bar dry. The name says it all really, but it was an ironic embodiment of my athletic career because being an athlete quite often means that when everyone else is out having fun, your out on the athletics track running round and round in circles. Diabetes can often feel the same, that everyone else is out at the party and your left outside looking in. But just remember this Diabetes Week #iCan... manage my diabetes... live the life I want... still achieve regardless of the condition...