CHANGING THE CONVERSATION for People Living With Diabetes
Christine was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at nine years old, just weeks before her tenth birthday. She remembers hearing the diagnosis and immediately bursting into tears. She was terrified of needles and could not imagine how she would ever manage something that felt so big.
Everything began to shift the following summer when she attended diabetes camp. There, she met other kids living with the same challenges, kids who were funny, loud, adventurous, and wonderfully normal. Being part of that community helped her accept her diagnosis and work through her fear of injections. She still proudly keeps the certificate she earned for giving herself her first shot as a reminder of how far she has come.
As an adult, Christine navigates many physical, emotional, and social challenges related to diabetes, most of which are invisible to others. Physically, she manages multiple complications, including autonomic neuropathy, retinopathy, gastroparesis, and venous issues. Emotionally, she has faced medical PTSD, diabulimia, diabetes distress, and burnout. Socially, her complications have sometimes made it difficult to work, requiring her to seek support simply to access the healthcare she needs. Because these struggles do not always show on the outside, receiving proper care has often been difficult.
Despite the challenges, diabetes has made Christine incredibly resilient. It has shaped her into someone deeply empathetic, hardworking, and purpose driven. She credits much of her strength and her sense of direction to the lessons diabetes has taught her about perseverance, compassion, and using her experience to help others.
A major part of Christine’s life is her advocacy and patient partner work. She uses her lived experience to help shape research and support the diabetes community in meaningful ways. She is also a vibrant creative force who creative directs photoshoots, dances, performs improv, cooks and bakes for her family, and throws herself into any craft project she can get her hands on. Most recently, she launched @chrisT1nediabetes, an Instagram page dedicated to sharing her journey and connecting with others living with T1D.
Christine is participating in the Pump Couture Fashion Show to raise awareness and to remind others that diabetes is complex, often unseen, and absolutely survivable. Her message to anyone newly diagnosed is full of kindness and grace:
Diabetes is a 24/7 job, and perfection does not exist. Your needs, numbers, and routines will change, and that is not failure. It is simply part of life with diabetes. You are allowed to learn as you go, to ask for help, and to take up space along the way.
#PumpCoutureFashionShow #ChangeTheConversation #StopTheStigma
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