How will you connect?

Last week was my first time as a speaker for the Friends for Life conference, a huge event in Orlando, FL that’s designed to support and connect PWD and families with kids with T1D.

It was incredible: Almost 2000 people had registered for the event. There was care for every aged kid, talks for every adult, covering every topic from parenting diabetes to managing insurance to managing tech, and tons of diabetes swag. And even though I didn’t know many people — after all, this was across the country for me and my first time there — I felt so comfortable. In some core way, these are my people. I loved seeing everyone wearing their tech with pride: Even in a room filled with hundreds of strangers, I felt right at home. 

One of the biggest hurdles parents struggle with after their child is diagnosed with type 1 is the isolation. Suddenly, you’re plunged into a different world, one where you’re feeling spent and wrung out, where you don’t feel like you can share your experience with the people in your community. 

I’ve heard this time and time again in my Sweet Talk work: parents who feel like Debbie Downer, who feel like no one understands what they’re going through, who feel alone. 

And, frankly, I don’t hear this only from parents whose children are newly diagnosed. Even after we’ve been at diabetes for a while, we T1D parents can hold back from sharing our experience. We feel like other people just won’t get it — so we don’t bother.

But if we keep holding back, we are the ones who suffer. 

Just as we have to learn to be advocates for our kids, we have to do that for ourselves. The diabetes community is there for us to step into, to create connections. This is your wolf pack. This is why I’m a big believer in conferences like Friends for Life, in camp. I’m also a believer in organizing a coffee, getting online to make a connection, taking a course.  

Sometimes it takes all of our courage to step in to make the change we need. Sometimes, it’s as simple telling a neighbor about our family’s new diagnosis. Sometimes, it’s sending out a lifeline to friends, letting them know that you need help. Here’s my task for you: Email me and let me know about a new reach you’re going to make this week to help you get more connected around diabetes.