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Greetings!
Hi everyone and welcome to the July edition of Yada Yada.
We've got a bumper issue this month including information about a new international program called Young Leaders in Diabetes, research into a stable form of liquid glucagon and a summary of media coverage during National Diabetes Week.
We also want to hear from you for nominations for our annual Seed Award as well as personal stories for a new edition of our Starter Kit.
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Young Leaders in Diabetes
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 Young Leaders in Diabetes (YLD) is an exciting new program of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) that aims to improve the lives of young people with diabetes by developing the leadership and advocacy skills of tomorrow's leaders. YLD's first meeting was at the World Diabetes Congress in Dubai last year where a group of 85 young people with type 1 gathered from 55 different countries. The most significant issues raised included global access to insulin, mental health and raising awareness of type 1. Rachel Lamb is the Australian young leader. She lives in Perth and co-founded YWAIT (Young Western Australian Insulin Takers) only a month after being diagnosed with T1 in 2009. YWAIT supports young people with type 1 in WA by providing an online space where members can connect, socialise and share the experience of living with T1. Asked about her goals for YLD, Rachel says, "My main aim is to connect, share experiences and empower people. Motivate and educate." You can read the stories of all the global young leaders online. These give some great insight into the different challenges and experiences of people with type 1 around the globe. The next World Diabetes Congress will be held in Melbourne in 2013 and YLD hopes to have a strong youth presence there. Interested in getting involved? There will be a call for new young leaders in the future and you can keep up to date with YLD's activities through their website, Facebook page or Twitter account (@YLDIntDiabFed). |
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to www.sweettalkdiabetes.com.au
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Seed Award nominations open
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In 2010, T1DN began presenting the annual Seed Award in recognition of the amazing contribution of Melinda Seed to the T1 community. Melinda was a founding director of T1DN and played a critical role in the development of the organisation.
The award recognises people who make a difference in the type 1 community and we are now calling for nominations for the 2012 award. The Seed Award includes a cash $350 prize and is given to an individual or group that has:
- provided support, information and/or a voice for the type 1 community
- demonstrated initiative and intelligence in their endeavours
- been committed to the principle that people living with type 1 diabetes can and should have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.
Do you know someone who makes a difference to people with type 1? Please nominate them for this year's award. In your nomination, include a brief description of how the nominee meets each criterion along with the nominee's and your contact details. To get an idea about the type of nominations we're looking for, read about previous years' winners: the fantastic Cheryl Steele and Helen Edwards.
Email your nominations (or any questions you have) to Natasha at natasha@d1.org.au by the end of August.
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to www.t1dstars.com
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Stable liquid glucagon
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Glucagon is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that raises blood sugar levels. In a healthy pancreas, insulin and glucagon work in their opposing roles - raising and lowering BGLs - to maintain stable sugar levels. Pumps that mimic a healthy pancreas by using both insulin and glucagon could improve control and certainly make treating hypos simpler.
In the emergency hypo treatment kits that you may be familiar with, glucagon is stored as a powder because it's not stable for very long as a liquid (even as a powder, the kits have an expiry date). This instability is one of the key technical problems standing in the way of using glucagon in a pump.
H owever, researchers in Oregon have made a stable form of liquid glucagon that could potentially be used in two hormone pumps and artificial pancreas systems. This form of glucagon still needs to go through animal and human trials to guarantee its safety, but we think it's an interesting and exciting step towards an even more effective pump system.
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to http://www.myfreestyle.com.au/cathy
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New edition of our Starter Kit
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 The production of our new T1DN Starter Kit for adults newly diagnosed with T1D is well underway and we are now seeking your personal stories and snippets. 'Snippets' are short (about 100 words), positive personal quotes/stories about a specific topic related to living with T1, while 'Stories' will be more in-depth (about a page each).
These personal anecdotes give newly diagnosed T1s a glimpse into the varied real-world of life with diabetes and show them that there really are others who successfully deal with the same issues they now face.
You can send your stories and snippets through the following links: Snippets and Stories.
The Reality Check thread has a list of topics that may give you inspiration as well as more detailed information and a couple of examples.
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to Roche pump therapy
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Challenges faced by young people with diabetes in rural areas
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A recent survey has reiterated the challenges faced by young people with type 1 diabetes in rural areas. The survey concentrated on the transition period at age 18 when young people move from paediatric to adult services. In rural areas young people often find fewer and less coordinated resources to support them, especially in helping them self-manage their type 1.
 A previous study showed that young adults in rural areas had their HbA1c measured less frequently than their city counterparts, and it was more likely to be above 8%. They required crisis hospitalisation twice as often and were less likely to have an annual review with a specialist.
The limited access to medical advice in regional areas and the critical stage of young adulthood were issues identified in T1DN's 2008 Statement of issues affecting Australians with type 1. Peer support resources and transition programs like Youth Outreach for Diabetes in the Hunter region are important ways to address this problem. Although not a replacement for transition services, online support mechanisms like our Reality Check forums can help young adults connect and support each other.
Hat tip to HealthCanal.com who reported the survey.
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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Call 1800 777 808 (option 3) or go to www.medtronic-diabetes.com.au for more information
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National Diabetes Week
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National Diabetes Week ran this month from 8-14 July. The Diabetes Australia campaign focused on prevention of type 2, but many mainstream media outlets also ran stories about people living with type 1. It's nice to see some media coverage, and while it wasn't perfect, most of the articles did a reasonable job in covering some of the issues confronting people living with T1. Some of the articles we came across included:
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to www.accu-chek.com.au/nano
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Meet-ups and events
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First ever T1DN webinar
T1DN will host our first ever webinar on Tuesday 4 September from 8-9pm (eastern time). Kate Gilbert, our founder and former president, will talk about diabetes burnout and share her toolkit for living real life with diabetes, which is full of tips and tricks collected from the shared experiences of people with type 1 gathered over many years of working with the type 1 community.
More details will follow closer to the event, but if you would like to register your interest or have any questions please email Natasha at natasha@d1.org.au.
Type 1 Diabetes Capricorn Connection (T1DCC)
T1DCC's next support group meeting is on 4 August in Yeppoon. The guest speaker is dentist Miles Goudie who will talk about the effect of diabetes on teeth and gum health.
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Quick shots
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Hot topics on the Reality Check online forum include:
On Munted Pancreas, parents of kids with D are discussing:
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Thanks for reading, and don't forget you can always send us your feedback and comments by replying to this email. See you next time!
From everyone at The Type 1 Diabetes Network |
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