Dear Dia-bestie

Dear Diabestie,

A simple Facebook message. Thats how it started. 

I was nervous. I was meeting up with a stranger who I had met on the internet - this was before I became part of the GBDOC and the only Type 1’s I had ever met were through JDRF Discovery days. 

My parents had always taught me not to talk to strangers, and this one looked pretty dodgy ;)

So the day came and we decided to go bowling. 

10am and we were the only people in the bowling alleys! Do you remember the 10 minutes of awkward chit chat?

‘How long have you been diagnosed?’

‘What subjects to you take?’

etc etc

We finished the game of bowling... after about 10 minutes.

By the end of the day after going for lunch, carb counting, eating ice-cream and walking round the town the initial awkwardness was broken when the ‘disease’ we both have in common completely broke the ice. 

Alyssa - ‘I think Im low’

And in what felt like an alter universe we both could completely understand.

Two weeks later we met again, this time at a Diabetes UK Care Event. It was so lovely to get to meet again, the awkwardness had gone and I felt like I was meeting with a friend I had known for years. You and the other 21 campers made that Care Event which I was very nervous attending one such an amazing experience.

However I'll never forget that moment on the slide when you went low. Im so grateful for that stranger who was strong enough to help pull you from that pool. I cant even put that situation into words because I thought I was going to loose my best friend and I don't want that ever to happen! You do love scaring me with these moments though! ;)

We've been through the highs and lows together (blood sugar wise and life) Always supporting each other along the way. We speak, snapchat, tweet or text lots - I hate that you live so far away. After the Care Event I stayed close with lots of people from the camp but as Skype calls got more infrequent and texts were few and far between the friendships faded, but our friendship remained strong. Our diabetes gave us common ground but now we know that we have so so much more in common.

I think you are so inspiring not just with your diabetes but your general attitude to life. If something knocks you back you come back twice as strong and you are so determined to make a difference! I think its fantastic all the work you do with Just Duk It and I hope one day we will be travelling round doing Diabetes talks together! (The Pumptastic Backpacker?! ;) aha!

Meeting again at the People With Diabetes Conference just confirmed how strong our friendship is. After 2 years apart, even though we speak all the time, you couldn't shut us up, and we tried but failed to hold back the tears as we both went our separate ways again.

Without diabetes I wouldn't have met my best friend and many other amazing friends along the way - thats a very strange thought!

“Friendship is born that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! you too? I thought I was the only one!” - C.S.Lewis

Thankyou for being my ‘Dia - bestie’!

Lyd x

Hope you enjoyed this blog post! If you write a post about your ‘Dia-bestie’ please send me a link! Id love to read it!

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

How to save a life

DISCLAIMER - I am not a medical professional and everybody who suffers with Type 1 Diabetes has different symptoms/ treatment etc. Views are my own and not that of any medical organisations. Always check with a healthcare professional etc etc…

Hey you! Yeah you! Don’t look behind you! Its you I want to talk to!

OK so that came across strong…

But Ive got your attention right?

If I told you this blog could be about someone you love, a member of your family, a work colleague, a child you work with, a friend or just a stranger would you carry on reading?

OK good now I've got your attention. 

‘WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES BECAME UNWELL?’ (I feel like I sound like a cheesy TV advert)

Would you give them sugar? 

Or do they need insulin?

I don’t blame you in any way for not knowing! 

I didn't know I had a pancreas before I was diagnosed.

I didn’t even know Type 1 Diabetes existed.

Only because I now have it I do.

If a Type 1 Diabetics blood sugars drops too low or rises too high it can cause us to act out of character or become unconscious. If our blood sugar drops too low or rises too high we may not be lucid enough to be able to recognise our own symptoms.

Im going to explain what to do - you never know when you may be in the situation where a Type 1 needs your help.

How to check a diabetics blood sugar if they are unable

1. Pop a strip into the meter - most meters turn on automatically when you do this

2. Finger pricker dependant (some have a button on the side to prick the finger) prick them on the the top part of their finger

3. Squeeze the finger and place the blood on the testing strip in the meter

4. A normal blood sugar is between 4 and 7mmol

The person may also have a Freestyle Libre (a small plastic coin like device on their arm) and a black handset. When the button on the handset is pressed and the machine is swiped against the Libre it will tell the show the blood sugar reading and an arrow in the direction their sugar levels are going.

Symptoms of hypos (hypoglycemia) - a blood sugar reading of under 4mmol

• Sweating
• Muddled up sentences
• Clumsy
• Irritable (or if you're from up north ‘mardy'!)

If the person is having a dangerously low hypo they may also appear Incoherent and intoxicated - something that can be very dangerous if confused with being too drunk in bars or nightclubs.

What to do!

If the person is still responsive and able to eat - give them sugar

Normally as a diabetic we carry glucotabs, a sugary drink or jelly babies in our bag. If there isn't anything with them - anything sugary will do! The recommended amount is 3 glucotabs or 150ml of a drink or 3-5 jelly babies.

(If their bloods have not returned to normal in 15 minutes - repeat)

If the person cannot eat - but is still conscious

Give them a glucagon injection if they cannot do it themselves (If they carry one!) This is an injection in an orange case used to raise blood glucose in an emergency (the instructions are in the case). 

If the person has no glucagon pen/ has lost consciousness

Ring 999 - the longer the Type 1 diabetic is unconscious the lower there blood sugars will drop

(This could result in death - panic now - internally of course)

Symptoms of high blood sugars 

-  Fatigue

• Vomiting
• Fruity breath (smells like pear drops)
• Rapid heartbeat

What to do!

If the person is unwell

A hyper doesn't have the same immediate risk of a hypo.

But it the persons sugar levels are very high (I would say about 17mmol (but don't quote me I'm not a medical professional!) to check for ketones on their handset. If the person has ketones they need to correct their blood sugars down with insulin and drink lots of water. Contact their nurse/111. If the ketones are above 3 the general advice is go to hospital.

If the person is unconscious 

Ring an ambulance - this is a symptom of DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) and can be fatal.

I know this is a serious blog but I have had friends who have had hypo seizures due to low blood sugars and those in DKA who have been on their own - hopefully this will help to spread awareness incase this ever happens near you!

Thanks for reading this dear reader and you never know…

One day you may be the person to save my life?

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

#DXStockholm - Day 1 (A plog!?)

This is the first day and blog DXStockholm - mostly in pictures, can I call it a plog?! (ill explain why in the next blog) If you like this style of blog please give it a favourite, like or share so I know for the future!

Waking up at 5am to get a taxi to the airport the thought of flying to Stockholm still didn't seem real. Ok so I say waking up, I hadn't really slept as I had a hypo during the night which kept me awake. 

At the airport I met Adrian, a fellow GBDoc blogger and cat enthusiast, who kept me in check with his teacher like instincts! Going through security we must have looked rather dodgy resulting in Adrians bag being checked and myself getting a full body pat down! With a pod on one arm and a libre on the other, looking part cyborg I wasn't suprised! After chatting none stop for around 5 hours we arrived at our hotel, bumping into the Grumpy Pumper on the way, before heading off for a walking tour of Stockholm with other T1D bloggers. 

My hotel room for the weekend

Haymarket Hotel

Stockholm walking tour

Meeting bloggers who Ive been friends with on social media in real life never fails to surprise me. I find it incredible how members of the #gbdoc and other #docs around Europe are exactly like they portray themselves online. It was lovely to finally meet Melanie, Jen and Sofia after following each other on Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram - without this event it would not have been possible! Walking around Stockholm with our hilarous Australian tour guide we learnt a little about Stockholm and a lot about each other! 

Stockholm is an lovely city, it reminds me of Austria with its clean streets and amazing old buildings. On our tour we saw the bank where Stockholm Syndrome first took place - something myself I was quite unfamiliar with, as well as seeing the building, which was across from the square of our hotel, where the Nobel prize award ceremony is held. 

#GBDOC on tour

On the bus to the reception at the Science and Technology Museum with Jen

Finally met Sofia (Diabetesia)

Jens pod came off on the slide! Good job there was a spare!

I will never learn to frown

A backpacker and her pod, a Diabetesia and a Grumpy Pumper walked into a bar. 

Our evening reception was held in the Science and Technology museum in Stockholm which wasn't a conventional type of museum! We played on dance mats and Jen even managed to rip her pod out on the slide! (Dont worry I had a spare! Thats the best part of having a diabetic meeting - everyones prepared for every eventuality!)

Surrounded by people, some of whom Id only known a couple of hours I couldn't help but feel incredibly grateful. Id been given this amazing opportunity to meet Type 1’s from all over Europe! With fellow bloggers from Italy, France and Germany to name a few, sitting outside chatting on our first evening it felt like we had known each other for years! Chatting about our diagnosis, diabetes and life outside our disease over a glass of wine in Stockholm was a surreal experience. 

I headed to bed with a straight line on my Libre after my day in Stockholm ready and raring to for the first offical day of talks at #DXStockholm! (I swear being around other diabetics cures me!)

Tack (thank you) for reading! 

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx


Disclosure - I have been sponsored by Abbott to attend the bloggers programme at #DXStockholm. Abbott has not asked me to tweet/post/blog about the programme. Views are my own.  

My Story

Everyones diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes is different.
This is why I started my blog - to share my story and this post was the very beginning.

This is my story…

Every person diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes may have similar symptoms but not everybody's diagnosis is the same. This story is from my account but parts within my memory are hazy. I don't know whether It is because i was so ill or that It was a sensitive time so I've blocked it out. 

It all started when I was in year 7 around the summer term. Everyone who took part in the stage production of Oliver at my high school was taken down to London to see Hairspray the musical as a reward. All I can remember was being incredibly thirsty. Within a few hours of my journey I had drunk nearly all 3 bottles of my water. So as you can imagine after drinking all that water I started to need the toilet. Realising myself that id drunk a lot on the way there, but just putting it down to the fact that it was a novelty to be allowed flavoured water, on the way back I tried not to drink any. However after falling asleep I woke up to find my mouth incredibly dry, resulting in me drinking another bottle. Its just the hot weather making you drink a lot I thought to myself. 

Later in the term I was becoming incredibly tired. By the end of the term I was exhausted. I was still drinking lots and during the end of year exams I started to annoy one or two of my teachers constantly asking to fill up my bottle and asking to go to the toilet. Standing outside my form room, I remember this like yesterday, I fiddled with my skirt and it very nearly fell to the floor. That night we had to buy a new skirt from the school shop before speech day at the end of the week. My mum and dad put it down to a growth spurt and I thought nothing of it.

The summer holidays rolled around. At the beginning of the holidays my cousins, sister and myself went to Filey for a week with my grandparents, something we did nearly ever year since being little. I continued drinking lots and going to the toilet a lot. My gran always tells me how she remembers I was drinking so much Robinsons fruit squash - looking back I agree. Constantly needing the toilet when you are at the beach leads to many difficulties - mainly the lack of toilet! Dragging my gran to the sailing club many times a day she knew something was wrong.

‘Promise me you will go to the Doctors when you get back from Spain’ - Gran the Pan (as we call my Gran haha)

I dismissed it - I didn't think anything was wrong.

Our holiday in Filey ended and we headed straight for our friends villa in Spain. This time with my parents, sister, cousins, auntie and uncle. This is where I became ill quickly. I was eating constantly  (I developed a love for ham toasties) and loosing dramatic weight. Every night I would get up around 5 times and every morning Id have drunk around 4 litres of water (Its hard to hide how much you have drunk when the water is in a bottle abroad!) Every morning when Id wake up I was as tired as I had been that night when I had gone to bed. But everybody is sleepy and lazy on holiday - thats what I thought my tiredness was down too! My dad and uncle tried to throw me in the pool, ‘don’t snap her she's like a twig!’ my dad joked (unknowingly of course!)

When we arrived home my mum took me to the doctors, I tried to persuade her not to go but it was no use. This is a TMI warning - so they wanted me to wee in a bottle and as a 12 year old girl I refused. We took the bottle home and was told to bring it back the next morning. Finally after sleeping on the idea I reluctantly did. The doctors then ran some tests and told my mum the results should be there later that day and they would ring us. But an hour later there was a phone call…

It was Doctor Brophy my godparent and GP. He told my mum and dad that I urgently needed to go to hospital because I had extremely high blood sugar and ketone readings. We rushed all the way to the hospital and I had some more tests. They weighed me and took some blood samples. My mum and dad were both really nervous but I didn't really understand. They told me that I was Type 1 Diabetic and that my bloods were 38! They explained to me that a non diabetics blood sugar is between 4 and 7. I weighed around 4.3 stone and my condition at the time was severe. They told us that I was very lucky and that if we had not gone to the doctors on that day I would have been in a coma (shortly followed by death from DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis))

5th August 2009 - The date I was diagnosed.

It was really hard being diagnosed with a ‘disease’ (ergh I hate that term!) that you have never heard of and there is no cure for. It hit my parents especially hard. I remember being sat in a room and my dad having to leave - I know it was because he was trying to process it and didn't want me to see him upset. My mum with soft Northern Irish heart just cried. (Ive just cried writing this). I refused to stay in hospital that night. I just wanted to go home. I was told I was allowed if I did my own injection at home and came straight back the next morning. ‘ (From what I recall - my dad may have a different version) What would you like?’ My dad asked when we were sat in the hospital. Instant laugher from the nurses and my dad when they found out it was going to cost my parents an iPhone 3. Every cloud and all that ;) haha!

The rest of the summer is just a blur to me - I remember going to Clumber Park in our caravan, we always go to Clumber when a big event happens in our life. But apart from that all I remember from the rest of the summer is my parents helping me (mostly them) carb counting my dinner, scales, carb ratios and insulin injections.I did my own injections from the start - I refused to let anyone else inject me.

September rolled around and with all my new diabetic supplies I headed off to my first day of year 8. I was lucky enough for my mum to work at school so she let all the staff know that I had Type 1 - however I was petrified of telling my friends. Our first lesson was Biology and I think all the stress got to me because I felt really strange. From what I remember id only had this feeling once before. I checked my blood sugars and they were low. I remember being really embarrassed having to tell my teacher I was low but she was lovely. Some of the symptoms of low blood sugars are lack of concentration, dizziness and shakiness. I had two plain digestive biscuits to bring me back up as my eyes were welled up with tears. My friends on my table asked what was wrong. Newly diagnosed I didn't know how everyone would react. Only knowing about Type 2 before I was diagnosed and how it was portrayed in the media I thought they'd think it was because of my weight (which to be honest) you must have been able to tell it wasn’t! 

I wrote it on my wrist - ‘I have Type 1 Diabetes’ - That took so much of my courage.

Being Diagnosed with Type 1 wasn't the be all and end all. It was the beginning and the start of a long journey but not a bad one - its a roller coaster. It was a learning process, it still is and it always will be. I hope by sharing my story it will be relatable to other Type 1’s - the unknown, the confusion and the symptoms. If you didn’t know what it was like to be diagnosed with Type 1 i hope its given you more of an understanding (and well done for reading to the end!)

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

JDRF #Type1catalyst at Parliament

Two years ago I attended Parliament with JDRF for the #countmein campaign. During this event we lobbied with MP's raising awareness and spreading our stories about living with Type 1 Diabetes. At Type 1 Parliament we were trying to back government funding towards Type 1 and I was privileged enough to have a private interview with Ed Miliband who was very nice and really interested in what I had to say about Type 1. I even found out that Ed's uncle helped design the first insulin pump! 

On Monday I attended Parliament with JDRF again, but this time the event was called #Type1catalyst and was different to the event two years prior. Joined by health care professionals, MP's and their Type 1 constituents, and of course the lovely team from JDRF, Type 1 Catalyst was in full flow. Jamie Reed MP, lead the event giving a fantastic speak and we were also joined by Derek Rapp, who is the CEO of JDRF US and it was very nice to meet him along with Jonathan Valabhji, National Clinical Director for Obesity and Diabetes at NHS England who attended the event. Theresa May, Home Secretary popped in to help us celebrate the event and it was lovely to meet Chris Askew, Chief executive of Diabetes UK. It was  fantastic to able to meet some of the Type 1 community from Twitter, as well as many JDRF staff who Id been in contact with over twitter and emails such as Callum, Chris, Dean and George, finally having a conversation face to face! 

The Type 1 Catalyst event allowed us as people that lived with Type 1 and our MPs to hear about, and help us celebrate the successes of research towards potential cures and treatments for Type 1. The CEO of JDRF, Karen Addington said that these ideas are no longer ideas, and seeing how far even in the past two years research is progressing at Type 1 Catalyst it shows extremely exciting prospects for the future! One of the researchers who attended the event in Parliament who I was able to speak with was Mark Peakman, who is a Professor of Clinical Immunology at Kings College. Mark is working constantly behind the scenes figuring out how to stop the body attacking the beta cells which produce insulin and has found that you are less at risk of complications if your body still produces C - Peptide. 

Overall the event was fantastic being able to see the excitement and support behind Type 1 Diabetes! As a Catalyst speeds up processes it is brilliant to see the fast paced changes and improvements within the world of Type 1 Diabetes! As Jamie Reed stated 'We have to keep rattling the bars!' Change is happening but we have to keep pushing for change. We need to keep being the catalyst, but with all the fantastic support from the government and JDRF - Im positive that Type 1 Diabetes will will become Type 0. 

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes - type1

My A Level art mood board about Type 1. Including pictures of only diabetic friends, old omnipod insulin pods and my favourite inspirational quotes

Once upon a time a 12 year old girl was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Nearly 7 years on there is a few things I wish people knew...

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes 

• Is 24/7 - there are no days off (not even Christmas!)
• T1D affects around 400,000 people in the UK
• Is a roller coaster of emotions and blood sugar readings
• but somehow we keep positive - most of the time!
• as no two days are the same and it can be frustrating
• no we didn't get it from eating too much sugar
• there are two main types of diabetes
• is nothing to do with lack of exercise
• …or poor diet
• and does not always come from elderly people
• and diabetics don't want to hear how a distant relative have their foot chopped off
• we have to carry around life saving equipment every every da

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• is not a death sentence if managed
• but it nearly killed my best friend so it is very downplayed in seriousness 
• and sometimes there is no explanation why
• it is emotionally hard to deal with
• and there is no such thing as a perfect diabetic
• it causes 40% of diabetics to have an eating disorder
• and burnout is common - it needs to be talked about
• and its OK to ask for help
• even though we aren't alone sometimes we feel it
• if we have a low blood sugar it is not because we did something wrong and we DO have to have sugar to bring our bloods back up
• it is not cured by cinnamon or other herbal diets - not even by a low carb diet
• it makes any common illness you get ten times worse
• but makes us 10 times stronger
• has given me the best friends 
• has allowed me to be part of an amazing community
• … who feel like my family - some of whom i haven't even met yet

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• if seen in a positive light has allows you to conquer and do some amazing things
• but has led to struggles during exams and stressful times
• but at the same time we forget everyone struggles 
• its a hard job - theres no sugar coating it
• and we SHOULD NOT be defined by our Hba1c
• it affects the whole family not just the sufferer
• and although we may not always say it were so thankful

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes

• my insulin pump doesn't magically ‘do’ my diabetes for me - its not a pancreas!
• and some devices we have to pay for… 
• we have to calculate all carbs in our head
• … but we don't get a maths degree (boo)
• we can eat ANYTHING (in proportion obvs) as long as we inject for it
• diabetes doesn't stop me from doing anything… i just need to be more prepared (good job i used to be a girlguide and scout!)
• and it DEFINITELY does not define me
• but to those who feel defined by it at the moment - one of my nurses called Sarah from my old team in Doncaster once told me ‘Life always has its ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like your entering a black tunnel with no light is sight - but you will come out the other side’ - that stuck with me and I hope it will stick we you too - keep going x

Finally…

#Iwishpeopleknewthatdiabetes - makes me part superhuman (well thats what I used to tell the Beaver Scouts anyway ;) 

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx

#TADtalks2016

Partha I've just being paid! Do you have any spaces left for TAD?! I'd heard a lot about TAD (talking about diabetes conference) from Twitter and this was the first year it was running. I really wanted to go so as soon as I was paid (and Partha kindly found me a space) I booked my tickets to London!

I didn't really know what to expect but I knew some fantastic speakers were there, one of whom I had already met a couple of weeks before called Lis who had lived with Type 1 for over 50 years and another Ninjabetic - who somehow we always end up discussing at my clinic appointments! 

On the way down to London, like a loner I might add, I was sat on a table of four on the train, with three older women who all knew each other. With my headphones in watching Miranda on my phone, I pricked my finger and tested my sugars. Around me on the table I could hear 'that young girl has diabetes - how much sugar do you have to eat as a kid to get that so young - disgusting.’ DISGUSTING?! I was very tempted to take out my earphones and give them a full lecture (including lecture notes) on the difference between the two main types diabetes but not wanting to make the train ride awkward and being very hangry from not having time for breakfast I drowned them out with the sound of Miranda - such fun.

After arriving in London and catching the tube to South Kensington I arrived at the conference hall in Imperial College London. It was so lovely to meet everyone again from the PWDC16 a couple of weeks before, my friend Abi who I met volunteering on a Diabetes Uk camp last summer and new faces who I've seen on the #gbdoc twitter sphere. 

The day started off hearing from Justin Webb from BBC Radio 4 who introduced the event and told us about his son and how his son had type 1. It was interesting to hear diabetes from a parents perspective as many of the talks I attend are always the HCP's views or the views from the person who actually has diabetes. 

There were many fantastic speakers throughout the day who are truly inspiring to the world of diabetes. We heard heartbreaking and inspirational stories, one of which has stuck in my head from Weston (#wearenotwaiting) who lead an moving talk on Nightscout and his reason behind it. We also heard from many other amazing speakers such as Anne Coops who spoke about resilience and how diabetes treatments have changed over the years. In true diabetic style when Annes pump started alarming she whipped it out from her bra - something that every diabetic has done but hilarious to see first hand during a talk - good job we were all diabetics who understood! :P ahaha!

The first speaker of the day was Joe Eldridge. It was amazing to here his story about cycling with Novo Nordisk and how competition didn't just bring out the best in him, but also the best in his diabetes. The competitive streak helped Joe to get to the next level and this came about when he had only £8 left in his bank account, after constantly having to buy burritos for his team mate, after loosing the bet of having the best blood sugars - so he knew he had to win the bet. On the way to the burrito place he checked his blood sugars 4 times to make sure they were in range and after that day the burrito bet was off. I absolutely loved this as I find that competition is something that motivates me with my diabetes and therefore I could relate to Joes story a lot. It is also inspiring how the cyclists from Novo Nordisk can control their diabetes even with the factors of adrenaline and how that raises blood sugars along with everything else that diabetes may throw at them during an 100 mile race. I've found my diabetes inspiration - I struggle a lot with my diabetes and sport but Joe has proved to me that nothing can stop you if you’re really passionate. 

All this talk about diabetes and the burrito bet made me want to check my sugars to see if they were in range. Again I pricked my finger and a whole fountain of blood poured over the table leaving it looking like a crime scene - lucky I was in a room full of people who I'm sure this has happened too as well! 

Ooh 5.6 #wheresmyburrito

Next up was Lis and I was very excited to hear about her life with Type 1 as she has never given speeches about it before. Firstly Lis talked about the Palmer injection which looked awful! A massive metal contraption to inject the insulin. Lis said it hurt no more than a cannula but the look of it was like something out a horror movie! When Lis was first diagnosed she had to over eat to be able to accurately count for carbohydrates! Now we know, years later that this can lead to dangerous thought processes and as we learnt from the DPC16 that 40% of diabetics actually develop an eating disorder. 

Lis also spoke about her experience with her diabetes over the years ‘Volunteer, go change it, do something about it’ and the diabetes community as ‘One thing that transformed my life was talking to others’ this just shows as a community how powerful we are! Lis also spoke about sugar surfing and taking her diabetes management into her own hands through the use of technology. ‘Getting a CGM was like turning a light on and id realised id been waling around in the dark’. 

Laura (ninjabetic) spoke about her misdiagnosis, something that many people in the room could relate too, and how the first 10 years of her diabetes was challenging due to not having the proper help and teaching at her diagnosis due to being diagnosed in Disneyland Paris and having all of her basic training in French. Lauras story inspired me. As a teenager with Type 1 I could relate to the feelings of frustration and wanting to not be diabetic from time to time - people who don't have diabetes done quiet understand the strain. After 10 years Laura met Partha and found blogging and social media to be such a massive positive influence towards her diabetes and is now (i would say) THE most successful diabetes advocate out there. 

‘It was nice not to be high all the time - its nice to be able to say that in a room full of people that understand’

One of the most poignant moments of the day was a little girls response to Richards Lane, a past president for Diabetes UK and their first Ambassador, who gave a fantastic speech about his Islet Cell transplant. ‘What was it like being off insulin?’ she asked and I don't think there was a dry eye in the lecture theatre. Heartbreaking.

It was also lovely to have a member of Parliament Jamie Reed speak about the experience of his sons Type 1 and of course his own. Jamie Reed is also hosting Type 1 Parliament this upcoming month and I look forward to meeting him again to try and raise more awareness for the condition.

Overall #TADtalk2016 was an amazing idea from Partha Kar Diabetes Consultant at Portsmouth Hospital, Catherine Peters from GOSH and there was Peter Hindmarsh from UCL. Id like to say a big thank you to all of the amazing speakers as well as it was a fantastic day and I can wait for next year! … and possibility #TADpoles ;)

Lots of love The Backpacker and the Pod xxx