A diabetes game changer: Andi's Tips on meeting other T1Ds

Feeling connected to the right communities can help to significantly reduce anyone’s emotional load. More importantly, you’re able to share the experience and have faith that everything will be ok in the end (because you're not as alone as you may feel)!

You, our Glucology Community, have helped us to foster an open and supportive global community and we hope that it has been able to play a positive part in your journey. We’ll now invite you to have a listen to Andi's journey of feeling like she was the only one on Earth to have T1D despite the statistics, to then feeling connected and supported from the right people. 

Meeting other T1Ds in the community, Andi's Story

General Overview:

Andi was first diagnosed with T1D around 20 years ago. At that time, there were no accessible communities to connect with. This made Andi feel and believe that she was the only one with T1D, even though statistics had said otherwise. Her parents also felt quite alone in this as they too didn't know of anyone around them who were going through a similar journey. 

That was what it was like before Andi found 'her people', 'her community'. 

Fast forward to today, Andi started finding her community and meeting other T1Ds through instagram, where she was able to make several friendships that became very beneficial. This resulted in her being able to find common ground within her T1D journey and led to collaborations with other T1D business owners (Andi is a business owner herself. PLUS she was able to also find meaningful friendships). 

One of the biggest realisations for Andi from meeting other T1Ds online was finding T1Ds who were not just in other states but also locally around her. Andi shares that she wouldn't even know there was another T1D just down the road to her if it wasn't for this online community space!

The message Andi now wants others to know is that it's important to reach out because it's important to know the community is there. Help and support is quite literally just around the corner!    

Andi's Tips on meeting people from the community

1. Find the right facebook groups and join them! There are so many out there, including groups that are specifically for people in your area. Use keywords such as Diabetes Community to let facebook find the right suggested groups for you. 

2. Don't be afraid to slide into people's DMs. People are so friendly and they won't turn you away or treat you like a number

Overall, Andi wants you to know that if you have been feeling alone, online communities are the best way to go (or at least as a starting ground). Go online, type in the words you're looking for and find people in your area. And if you're a bit hesitant, it really does help to give this a go :)