CHANGING THE CONVERSATION for People Living With Diabetes
Rugia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 13. Her early symptoms were familiar to her father, who recognized them right away. In those first days, what stands out most in her memory is the fear she felt around needles and the worry of carrying her insulin pens to school. It was the beginning of a journey that felt overwhelming and uncertain.
One of Rugia’s biggest daily challenges has always been the mental work that most people never see. As a teenager, she managed diabetes without access to an insulin pump, which made everything more demanding. Her adolescent years were filled with highs and lows as she tried to understand her changing body and the constant decisions diabetes required. Today, life looks very different. Access to an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor has transformed her routine and improved her quality of life in ways she could not have imagined back then. The impact of these tools reminds her every day of the importance of research, technology, and equitable access to care.
Living with diabetes from such a young age has shaped Rugia in powerful ways. She has carried diabetes with her through every stage of life, from adolescence to motherhood to her professional career. As a first generation immigrant, she also experienced the challenges of navigating the healthcare system in a new country. These experiences deepened her commitment to advocacy and strengthened her belief in the importance of equity in healthcare. She wants others living with diabetes to receive the support that every person deserves.
The diabetes community that Rugia connects with today is one she cares deeply about, especially mothers living with type 1 diabetes. Her advocacy is rooted in lived experience. She has managed diabetes since her teens, experienced pregnancy while balancing a chronic condition, and lived both without and with diabetes technology. She understands the critical importance of insulin pump therapy during pregnancy. Better glucose control lowers risks for both mother and baby, and when coverage is limited, families are forced into difficult and unfair choices. For Rugia, advocating for expanded provincial coverage for pump supplies, or for their inclusion under national pharmacare, is about protecting mothers, supporting healthy pregnancies, and giving babies the strongest possible start.
Rugia is modeling in the Pump Couture Fashion Show to help change the conversation around diabetes through honesty, visibility, and hope. She wants anyone newly diagnosed to know that it is completely normal to feel scared. She also wants them to feel encouraged. This is an exciting era for people with diabetes. Advances in technology have transformed daily life, and emerging research, including progress in stem cell therapy, offers real reasons to look toward the future with optimism
#PumpCoutureFashionShow #ChangeTheConversation #StopTheStigma
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