Type 1 diabetes is a unique condition.

It affects young people, at an age when other kids are focusing on studies and career, these kids have an additional thing to focus on-“their glucose management”.

Dealing with diabetes can be overwhelming, because apart from the daily insulin and sugar monitoring pricks 4 times a day, timely eating and exercise which involves requires very rigid discipline at an age when kids don’t really think much about their health.

Glucose management involves lots of calculations and math and lots of decision making throughout the day.

Despite all efforts, optimal glucose level is a slippery goal, gradually leading to frustration and side effects.

All these struggles are invisible unlike some other disability where one might get some empathy from friends; just explaining your struggles to your friends can lead to disappointment.

On the contrary, confusing type 1 with type 2 diabetes makes people assume it’s to do with bad lifestyle. What it leads to is lot of unnecessary advice and sometime a blame that the person is himself or herself responsible for the disease. Even parents sometimes blame the kids for a high HbA1c. People even young kids therefore, start hiding this condition from teachers / school / neighbors. In a recent example, a 25 year old girl was denied a job and probed multiple times in her interview about this disease though it has no implications on her work requirements.

We all need support, a non judgemental support especially kids and young people to cope with stress. Family and friends are the natural support system. For a person with type 1 diabetes, their coping skills and also their family’s is sometimes stretched to the limits. There is a need for additional support especially from peer who understand and who will not judge. Even the natural but lay support system needs professional and technical honing by professionals like psychologists, nutritionists, diabetes educators and physicians. There is also a need for societal support. There is so much support and funding for pediatric cancers but hardly much for type 1 diabetes, whereas it is much more cost effective to invest in type1 diabetes. There is a definite impact on the longevity and quality of life of the people with type1 diabetes.

SAKSHAM strives to garner support from various sectors of society.