Voices of Type 1 Diabetes

I came across this article today, Voices of Type 1 Diabetes: Doing My Best Each and Every Day written by the International Diabetes Federation, intended to profile the stories of type 1 diabetics from around the world. I always enjoy reading stories about other type 1 diabetics, but I was particularly taken aback by the story of the 24 year old Indian woman, who's history and attitude toward diabetes has an incredible likeness to my own. In particular:

"I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 12 years old. I was in 7th grade, and before diabetes, I was a happy go-lucky girl. I was active, and did well in school and sports. After my diagnosis, I took my diet very seriously but in truth, I hated the painful injections I was required to take each day. I worked hard on overcoming social fears, keeping appointments with my doctor, checking blood sugars regularly and eating well. Fortunately, when I graduated from university and began working, I understood the importance of informing friends, and office co-workers about my condition, especially about the risk of hypoglycemia and what happens to me during low blood sugar episodes. I dislike pity and my co-workers understood this about my nature and supported me."

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 11 years of age, in 6th grade, and was similarly an active, high achiever (for more on my own story, see Why I Aim for Average). It has also taken me a relatively long time (through high school and university) to overcome my own pride when it comes to diabetes, and to more openly inform my colleagues and friends.    

Living with a chronic condition sometimes feel very isolating, and at times it is frustrating to think that nobody quite understands the intricate, and often subtle, daily struggles of living with type 1 diabetes, both physical and emotional. This article was a small reminder that no matter what you're experiencing, and no matter how it makes you feel, you are never alone in your experiences in this big ol' world. 

66th World Health Assembly: Self discovery, long days, and free food

I had the incredible opportunity while interning at the WHO to attend the World Health Assembly. The World Health Assembly takes place every year at the Palais des Nations (United Nations Headquarters), where all the UN member states convene to discuss the health agenda for the next year. In addition to the main meetings, there are many side sessions that happen during lunch and in the evenings, which are usually organized by specific country’s delegations, by NGOs or UN or WHO departments.

My duty during the week of the WHA was to man my department’s booth (The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research). Although this may sound rather boring, it was actually quite the opposite as I had the chance to speak with individuals in the field of health policy, from around the world, about their work and the challenges their countries face. From Ministers of Health to researchers to students, I learned from each individual I conversed with.

Photo-op at the Alliance's booth, with co-workers

The side sessions were the other highlight of the WHA for me (and not just because of the free food, although interns are notorious scavengers of free food during the WHA, probably because of our non-existent pay cheque). As a future medical student (!!!!) already thinking about the path towards becoming a physician, and the responsibility and challenges that lie therein, I think I approached the WHA differently than I would have otherwise. One particular side session that stood out for me was organized by the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association on the topic of ‘Health of the World’s Girls- The missing link in the global development agenda?’. The topic was incredibly interesting, as the panelists discussed how child health and maternal health are common demographic targets for health initiative, but youth are often forgotten. The event was the first youth-led side session ever held at the WHA, which in itself was exciting, and I was further energized by the possibility of becoming involved with the IFMSA and their many global health initiatives. But more importantly, it made me realize the need to fight for not just women’s rights, but girl’s rights as well. For many girls, particularly those living in LMIC, the time between being a child and being a mother is vulnerable but crucial, when education and empowerment can make an incredible difference. As someone living in a society where education and empowerment has been slowly pushing the age of motherhood back, I find myself in a very liberating time of my life, when I am obviously no longer a child (or teen!) but will not be experiencing motherhood anytime soon, and so have the power to chase my own dreams and experiences. I wish for all girls the opportunity to experience that freedom.

The second side session that really stood out for me was organized by the Costa Rican government and the United Nations Sport for Development and Peace department, and was called ‘Physical activity, sport and noncommunicable diseases’. Well here was an event that had, right in the title, three things that I am incredibly interested in, and it did not disappoint. The event was not run as smoothly as some of the other events I had attended, and some of the speakers were subpar, but despite the quality of the event, it was by far my absolute favourite of the week. I felt so at home in a room full of athletic individuals who are very passionate about using sport and physical activity to tackle pressing problems associated with noncommunicable disease. And simply being present at the event, surrounded by these people, I realized that perhaps my initial interest in sports medicine, that first motivated me to pursue medicine, still exists in a very real way. Throughout university, while taking many biology courses, I always felt that if I went to med school and learned more about all the amazing ways in which the human body works, I might find sports medicine to be less interesting than other fields of medicine. But the side session made me realize that it is important to look beyond the textbook, and consider what in my life is powerful enough to ignite passion and a familiarity that makes me feel at home in a place that I have never been, and to pursue that passion with curiosity and zest.

There were so many exciting and interesting moments from the WHA (such as when Director General, Margaret Chan, crashed the event and sat beside me for about two minutes before making a quick speech and dashing off to another meeting, leaving me rather embarrassingly star struck), but I chose to share two specific moments because I have a feeling they will stick with me long past when my days at the World Health Organization are done.

My co-worker and I checking out some of the other booths at the WHA

A Summer Abroad

Bonjour blogosphere! Although it has been almost a year since I last posted, I have high hopes that this entire summer will be well documented, even though I am already into the third week of it. But I will retrospectively document the last 3 weeks over the course of this next week.

From The Beginning

This past academic year I held an undergraduate fellowship at the McMaster Health Forum, a health policy hub based in Hamilton. As part of my fellowship experience, I was given the incredible experience to travel to Geneva, Switzerland this summer for a 2 ½ month internship at the World Health Organization. As I recently completed my final undergraduate year at McMaster University, I could not have been more excited to have an opportunity to spend my summer between undergrad and grad school travelling Europe. I’ve never actually been to mainland Europe before, only Iceland (which always seems to shock and surprise people).

The Internship

I am interning in the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research at the WHO. I am working on a number of smaller projects, but the majority of my work is dedicated to conducting key informant interviews and co-authoring an original research paper on conference evaluation.

In terms of activities outside my internship’s terms of reference, the intern community in Geneva is incredibly well organized and large – with interns from the WHO, UN and International Labour Organization, to name a few, filling up the city in the summer. There are weekly drinks organized, gym classes, weekend excursions and lunches organized, meaning that nearly any day of the week the intern community is up to something.

The Accommodations

Finding housing in Geneva, especially for only a couple months, is notoriously difficult (and expensive!) but I lucked out in finding a beautiful, two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in a suburb just outside Geneva, with a wonderfully helpful and cheery roommate who also happens to be an employee at the WHO. And I have a bike to use while I’m here. Lucky? Definitely.

The City

Geneva is the tenth most expensive place to live in the world, according to The Economist’s Worldwide Cost of Living Report 2013, has a population of 194, 245, and is home to CERN, The Palais des Nations (UN HQ), the World Health Organization HQs and a whole bunch of watch and chocolate shops (more on that to come in future posts).

The Plan

So I am about 1/3 done my internship at this point (that is terrifying, so much work left to do!), and once it finished in mid-July, I have plans to travel to Montreux for the Montreux Jazz Festival, and then I’m off for a romantic couple of weeks in Nice and Paris with my man, before heading home to good ol’ Canada, eh.

A Global Health Perspective of Type 1 Diabetes

Monday marked the 90^th anniversary of the first time insulin was used on a human diabetic patient. Thanks to Frederick Banting (hooray for the Canadian connection!), not only is type 1 diabetes no longer fatal, but technological advances since his discovery of insulin have brought us such conveniences as insulin pumps and continuous blood glucose monitors, allowing type 1 diabetics to live long, healthy lives. 

But from a global health perspective, this is simply not the case.  The number one cause of death in type 1 diabetics worldwide is still lack of access to insulin.  Insulin.  The magic hormone that gives me life, 9 ½ years after my diagnosis.  Yet it is so easy for most of us type 1 diabetics in developed nations to remain thankless for this life-saving hormone, and instead focus on the hardships of living with type 1 diabetes.  It is so easy to be flippant with blood sugar control, to indulge in sweets when blood sugars are high, and overcompensate with insulin.  How many times have I griped about a high blood sugar, or been annoyed by the paperwork that comes with ordering diabetic supplies?  Too many times to count. What are your most common diabetes complaints?

Maybe it is time to take a step back from the luxuries of life in a developed country, and be thankful for the most necessary component of our life: insulin.  What would we do without it? You know the answer, and it isn’t happy.  But it is a reality for thousands of children with type 1 diabetes in developing nations.  For those who have the opportunity to be diagnosed in a hospital, they may have access to insulin, though the access will likely be inconsistent and liable to stop.  But many people are unable to even receive a diagnosis, and pass away without ever having known their condition was type 1 diabetes. Without ever knowing that it is a treatable condition.

I realize that there are many complex political, economic and social issues which underlie this inequality between the life of type 1 diabetics in developing versus developed nations, and I don’t believe we should spend all our time being sad about this dismal reality. But knowing it exists may just be enough to shift our perspective on our own diabetes, and maybe from that shift, we can grow a global solidarity of type 1 diabetics.  Perhaps together we can invoke change.  May we mourn over the deaths caused by type 1 diabetes, but may we also rejoice over the many lives that insulin has saved.    

Today, I was thankful for Banting’s discovery of insulin. Were you?

Any facts listed in this post came from the following International Diabetes Federation's article: http://www.idf.org/global-idfispad-guideline-diabetes-childhood-and-adolescence

For an interesting read about Banting's discovery, check out the following BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16657425