Donate

Global Stories

Global Advocacy Success Series: Cyrine, Lebanon

Global Advocacy Success Series: Cyrine, Lebanon

T1International has provided tools and support to ensure Cyrine’s plans are detailed and realistic, and allowed her to connect with other advocates around the world who can offer support and guidance. Read more

Redirecting Guilt into Action

Redirecting Guilt into Action

It’s crucial that those of us who have access to insulin use our platform and privilege to fight for our community and for the people with diabetes who are solely focused on surviving. We must serve as the voice for the people with diabetes who can’t use their own because they’re bogged down working three jobs and choosing between putting food on the table for their family or insulin. Read more

Underrepresented Communities and Navigating the System

Underrepresented Communities and Navigating the System

Seven years after my diagnosis my brother was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes which made the already bad financial burden worse. Although all people with diabetes struggle with how expensive diabetes can be, immigrants and people of color often do not have access to quality health insurance (or any access) so they are less likely to benefit from advanced diabetes technology. As I got older I began to understand how difficult it is to navigate a system that makes it harder for people in underrepresented communities to get adequate care. Read more

From Patient to Medical Student: My Journey with Diabetes Treatment

From Patient to Medical Student: My Journey with Diabetes Treatment

Having lived with type 1 diabetes for more than 12 years, I have experienced different aspects of the condition. First of all, as a patient, I approach diabetes from a personal view. I can also understand how the condition affects parents of children with diabetes. It's something new, demanding and difficult to handle. The last five years, as a medical student in Greece, I have seen diabetes from yet another more practical and scientific perspective. Read more

Type 1 Diabetes, Disability, and the Role of Legislation in Advocacy

Type 1 Diabetes, Disability, and the Role of Legislation in Advocacy

It is through the recognition of injustices and assertion of our rights that we can ensure equal opportunities. T1D advocacy is emerging in India and as a collective we are highlighting these issues. Change is happening. In 2020 in Kerala High Court, a public interest litigation was filed over the issue of including T1D in the list of disabilities and creating a national registry for people with T1D. Read more

Insulin is a Right for Incarcerated People with Diabetes

Insulin is a Right for Incarcerated People with Diabetes

It is time to recognize that incarcerated people with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to insulin insecurity. #insulin4all is more than a hashtag: It is a rallying call to everyone impacted by insulin inaccessibility, and a mournful cry for all who have lost their lives while insulin remains clearly in view, but cruelly out of reach. It’s a demand for justice for everyone who needs insulin to survive, including incarcerated people with diabetes. We must find ways to meaningfully include and involve this population in our activism. Read more

World Health Organization Consultation for People Living with Diabetes

World Health Organization Consultation for People Living with Diabetes

The Global Diabetes Compact (GDC) and the Consultation for People Living with Diabetes, gives me hope that there has been a step towards what we as advocates have long been fighting for. We have asked to have our voices truly included and to be treated like experts when it comes to solving global diabetes problems. We hope this is the start of real action and outcomes. Like Dr. Bente shared, it is time to co-create with WHO and move forward by holding their efforts accountable. Read more

Dexcom G6: Available to who?

Dexcom G6: Available to who?

But again, we must ask: who is this available to? This technology requires a prescription, and we know that Black and Brown communities are being offered access at much lower rates than their white peers. I am a Black woman with a family history of type 2 that puts me at greater risk of developing it. Interestingly, despite having several family members with type 2 diabetes, my child with type 1 is the first person that has CGM technology, and that was because I pushed for it. Read more

Honoring Advocate Stewart Tembo (1983 – 2020)

To everyone who knew him, Stewart was not only a friend and colleague, he was a passionate advocate, and a leader who knew exactly what patients living with diabetes needed to survive. He understood why patients should speak out for change. He believed that no person with diabetes should have to worry about the accessibility or affordability of insulin in their lifetime. Read more

Advocates in Canada Fight for Free Access for Insulin’s 100th Anniversary

Advocates in Canada Fight for Free Access for Insulin’s 100th Anniversary

Canada is the home of insulin. It was invented here and even features on our $100 bill. And yet, 100 years later, there is no Canada-wide coverage for insulin. Our Chapter's current campaign is called #freeinsulin100. Our goal is to ensure the passage of federal legislation implementing a national pharmacare program by the end of 2021, which would include all Provinces and Territories providing insulin free of charge for all people who require it by the end of 2021. Currently Canada stands alone as the only country in the world with a national public healthcare system that does not also cover required prescription medication.
Read more