We’ve now welcomed in a new year, and our Diabetes Online Community (DOC) has had plenty to say during this first month of 2022. Here are some of the excellent posts that appeared on various online platforms and caught our eye in January.
As we mark a New Year and think about all the resolutions that may or may not come to fruition, diabetes blogger Molly Johannes at “Hugging the Cactus” highlighted how there’s a particular diabetes rule that she always disobeys. Happy belated “diaversary” wishes for Molly, too, as she marked her 24th anniversary of life with type 1 diabetes (T1D) on Christmas Eve.
In the history of insulin, 2022 marks a significant historic moment as it is 100 years since the first-ever insulin injections were given. In 1922, teenager Leonard Thompson became the first human to ever get a dose of insulin — a first shot on Jan. 11 and then a second, purified dose on Jan. 23, 1923. A lot has changed in the past century as to insulin and diabetes treatments, and marking this history is certainly a big moment for our D-Community.
Speaking of marking insulin’s discovery, there is a new online resource known as “Club 1921” paying tribute to the year 1921, when the lab discovery work was making medical history. Created by D-Mom Stacey Simms who hosts the popular weekly Diabetes Connections podcast, this new resource is an online hub for diabetes events, both virtual and in-person.
The daily word game Wordle is all the rage. Kind of like a crossword puzzle with some simple rules, this can only be played once a day and it’s everywhere online. While there isn’t exactly a “diabetes version” of this, many in the DOC are playing the game and using the hashtag #DiabetesWordleClub. The DOC is keeping it fun, with comments like “every other day, our word would be ‘hypo’ or ‘hyper’.”
Wow, a 93-year-old woman may be the oldest person ever to be newly-diagnosed with T1D! A
One of the smaller diabetes nonprofits is called Ease T1D, and among other things, this group is partnering with Penn State Extension in Pennsylvania to sponsor 100 certificates of completion for a diabetes awareness and management module online, all in the hopes of increasing knowledge about signs and symptoms of oncoming diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Holy diabetes higher education!
The ‘Diabetes Way’ podcast debuted in January, hosted by two well-known advocates in our community: diabetes industry analyst David Kliff of Diabetic Investor; and Amber Clour, host of the existing podcast Diabetes Daily Grind. Aimed at all who are involved with someone with diabetes (family, friends, co-workers, etc.) but not necessarily living with the condition themselves, the stated mission of this show is to “provide honest, straight-forward information for those touched by diabetes.” You can check out the first episodes of this new podcast here.
Ever heard of the Pizza Bolus? Those who live with diabetes have long struggled to correctly calculate and time our insulin doses for pizza, which is extra challenging due to the mixture of fat and complex carbohydrates that have a delayed blood sugar impact. But the ever-creative #WeAreNotWaiting community is developing new advanced automated algorithms and data tracking to figure it out, as can be seen in this Twitter thread. Thank you, @gwsuperfan and @Tims_Pants!
Diabetes fashion much? Our friend and fellow diabetes advocate Cherise Shockley shared an incredible Instagram image, where she’s wearing a very cool scarf with a diabetes design made by D-advocate Anita Sabidi from Indonesia. Pretty amazing to see this, and so many of the other cool designs that Anita has created.
Finding your types on Facebook and elsewhere can be hard. That’s where the new nonprofit You’re Just My Type comes in. Unlike most other diabetes nonprofits, their focus is mental health, and “strengthening connections within the community through inclusive events, social networking, and direct support.” Check out the You’re Just My Type group on Facebook, where each week, they feature people from around our Diabetes Community sharing their personal D-stories.
How do you live fearlessly with diabetes? That’s a question being posed via Instagram to those interested in a new Skin Grips Diabetes Scholarship for college students in the United States. This Nevada-based company that makes skins and stickers to keep our diabetes devices attached to our bodies with a little style will be giving away $1,150 to 20 students living with diabetes by the end of March 2022. If interested, apply here.
As always, we’d love to hear what diabetes posts are catching your eye at the moment. Please drop us a line via email or on social media at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter if anything comes to mind for inclusion in our next monthly roundup.
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