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The US healthcare system makes it difficult, expensive, and often impossible for people with T1D to access the care, education, and support they need to live. Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D brings together voices from across the type 1 diabetes community to share real stories, expert insight, and practical support for living well with T1D.
Hosted by the team at Blue Circle Health, a U.S.-based program transforming type 1 care, this podcast helps people go from just surviving to truly living well with type 1 diabetes.
Learn more at BlueCircleHealth.org
When I was a young adult with
diabetes, I didn't actively
avoid community around diabetes.
I just didn't even realize it was
something I might need, right?
young adulthood is already a
lot, even without diabetes, and
I can see how the idea of finding
community can feel very overwhelming.
But community doesn't have to mean
a big group or a big commitment.
Sometimes it starts with one new diabetes
friend or even a simple text message.
Today, Val Luong from The Diabetes
Link shows us how connection can
start small, fit your life, and
still make a real difference.
But before we continue, I do need to
remind you that we're not providing
any medical advice or endorsing
any specific products or brands.
We'll always encourage you to consult your
healthcare team for personalized guidance.
Val, welcome to Around the Circle.
Thanks so much for being here today.
Hi, Scott.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited to be here and talk a
little bit about the Diabetes Link,
some of my journey, community, and how
it all connects and wraps up into one.
Yeah, absolutely.
we're so glad you're here.
Before we get started, can you tell
us a little bit about yourself?
What do you do at the Diabetes Link?
also tell us a little bit
about your journey with T1D.
I am the manager of community
engagement at the Diabetes Link.
I myself live with type 1,
getting close to 11 years now.
I was also diagnosed as a young
adult, so I feel really close to our
mission here at the Diabetes Link.
Let's talk a little bit
about your, journey with T1D.
You mentioned 11 years.
Tell me a little bit about
what was going on in your life.
I know a little bit of your story, right?
You were, diagnosed at 23 while serving
in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica.
That's amazing.
Yes.
Take us back there.
What was going on in your life and,
what did that diagnosis feel like?
Yeah, I had just graduated college,
and I had moved away from my family
with the plans of being gone for two
years, which, when you're a young adult,
that's a long time to go away and do
something different, be in a different
country that maybe you've never been
to, or they speak another language.
I was sent to Costa Rica to be an
English teacher at a high school,
which was really exciting, and
when I got there, I loved it.
I loved my community.
I lived in this little, tiny
rural community near the beach.
I am from California.
I surf.
So there was just so many things I
loved besides the work that I was doing.
It was great.
and as I got closer to my first year
and really starting to feel comfortable
and understanding what my role was,
connecting with the community, I
realized, I was having all these symptoms.
And again, when you're having those
early symptoms of diabetes, I kept
making excuses for it, "Oh, I'm
so thirsty 'cause it's so hot in
Costa Rica," or, "I'm feeling tired.
Oh, it's because I walk everywhere in the
heat, and I ride my bike everywhere." So I
was probably having symptoms really, when
I look back, for probably, two months.
and then my family- came to visit me and I
hadn't seen them in a year, and the first
things my mom said is, "What's going on?
you don't look well.
are you eating enough?
Like, how are things going?" And
throughout the two weeks that they
came to visit me, I feel like my
symptoms intensified to a place where
I was like, "Okay, I do need to go
to the doctors." Luckily, the Peace
Corps, in every country they work
in, they have such great medical.
So they have doctors on staff, nurses,
they work really closely with all
the big hospitals, in every country.
So I went in, and at that point
my symptoms were so bad where
I was not really feeling my
legs, my vision was blurry.
So I truly thought I got
dengue fever from a mosquito.
so I thought, "Oh man, like I
got something and I'm not sure
what it is, but it feels scary."
when I went in Sure enough, within two
days they called me and said, "Hey,
we see some alarming results," which
then, was probably the start of all
of our diagnosis, where you're just,
in the hospital, what's going on,
all this information's coming at you.
I think the layer that was really scary
was that I was so far from my family.
I was in a different country, and even
though I'm fluent in Spanish, I feel like
I was blacking out, because it was just
so much medical terminology coming at me.
And I also couldn't process that I
was getting diagnosed with type 1.
I just thought, I'm in my 20s.
Doesn't this happen to
people when they're younger?
It just wasn't making sense.
and unfortunately, the Peace Corps,
this was the first time someone
was diagnosed while in service with
type 1, especially in Costa Rica.
So they had to, they took it
some time to figure out what next
steps look like, and that looked
like sending me back to the US.
So once I got back here, I was obviously
heartbroken, and I always say I wasn't
as heartbroken that I got diabetes.
I was more sad that I had to leave
Costa Rica, because I really loved
my time there, and I loved my job.
and from there, I took that first year to
be like, let me learn as much as I can.
And because I wasn't able to finish my
service, I took, after a year, I went
back to Costa Rica, went back to visit
people that I didn't get to say bye to,
'cause I left so quickly, and I decided
to travel for six months on my own.
I wanted to figure out diabetes
while traveling, 'cause I knew it
was something that I loved to do.
And it was scary, it was hard, it was fun.
I learned a lot, and it helped me
build a lot of foundations, but
also it pushed me to come out of my
comfort zone a lot, and I truly feel
like that experience was a blessing.
So that's a little bit about
the start of my journey.
it was hectic, it was scary, and
also being a young adult, it also
felt isolating and lonely, because I
didn't know anyone else that was my
age getting diagnosed- Yeah … with
something that they would have forever.
so I really didn't know
where to go for support.
I didn't even know community was
a thing at that time in my life.
Yeah.
today we're talking about finding
T1D community that fits your life,
and, you, teased this a little bit
in your experience, and I wanna
dig into that a little bit more.
How did it feel around
that isolation, right?
did you know that community was
something you needed after diagnosis?
Did you discover its value later?
Was there maybe a particular person or
experience that changed things for you?
how did that happen?
Yeah, that's such a great question.
I definitely, I would say right at the
start it felt isolating, but like you
said, there was this, resilience and
this mindset that I was like, "I wanna
figure this out, and I'm determined
to figure it out," because I- I want
to live a life that I wanna have.
So I was really determined at
the beginning, but I will say
community definitely came later.
So in those first years of figuring
things out as much as I could, to
traveling, to then coming back and still
feeling like something is missing, I
would say after three years is really
when I was like, something's missing."
And I really had to sit with myself
and be like, "What is it? What is
missing here?" what's this piece
of the puzzle I'm not seeing?
And it was community.
I just in, at that time,
wasn't thinking of it that way.
All I thought was, "I just wanna know
one other person that's my age that I
can talk to about this and just say,
'This is hard,' or 'This sucks.'"
But I didn't know anyone, and even 10
years ago, I think the community that
exists online is different, right?
It's expanded.
There's so many people
sharing their experiences.
At that time, I don't remember seeing a
bunch of people talking about diabetes,
on Instagram or Facebook or anywhere.
But what I did do is I went on Instagram,
and I think at that time, hashtags were
still really popular, so I hashtagged
diabetes, and someone's account came
up, and they looked around my age.
They were a health coach, and I d- I also
didn't know what health coaching was at
all, so I was like, I'm just gonna message
this person, see what happens." And I
actually joined an online, program, but
it was community-based, so there was other
clients in there from all over the US.
They were around my age.
So it was the first time that I was
truly connecting with people and
having conversations, and I loved it.
I fell in love with that feeling.
It felt so good.
Even when I talk about it now, I think I
get goosebumps, 'cause it was such a, an
eye-opening experience for me that I truly
wasn't alone, and that's the first time
that I wasn't thinking about living with
diabetes as something that's isolating.
I was like, "Wow, this is
something that I can totally do.
Other people are doing it, and they're
doing cool stuff, and they're not
letting it put a pause on things that
they wanna do." So long story short
there, yeah, it took me three years
to get there, but from there, it
catapulted me into what my career is now
and what, how I experience community.
And that health coach is
still my friend today.
That's one of the people that I text all
the time, and we actually have worked
together in different capacities and
work together today at the Diabetes Link.
so it's very cool to, to think about
how that one connection or that
one moment of coming outside of my
comfort zone to connect with someone
really became, a part of my job and
part of what I love about living with
diabetes, is the community piece.
What do you hear from young adults
who maybe feel overwhelmed by
diabetes or just simply don't wanna
talk about it in relation to what
you're doing around community?
So here at the Diabetes Link, we
have community in different ways.
So whether that's in-person community
or online community, and Really what
young adults, it just seems like they're
craving this like sense of Belonging,
and whatever that looks like, and also
where it's meeting them where they're at.
Maybe today you want that community that's
in person, you wanna connect with people.
But maybe in a, a different season
of your life, that's not what
you want community to be for you.
so what we've found with our
young adults is they want things
that are low-key, honest, and
something that actually helps them.
And when I say helps them, I think in
diabetes we think a lot about, education
is teaching me something, right?
And with diabetes, we get talked to a lot.
A lot of information's coming
at us, whether it's from our
care team or different spaces.
There's a lot coming at us.
But what people want is, like,
how can something help me?
How can this be real and relevant?
And an example I'll give is maybe you
wanna try a pump for the first time, and
you've talked about it with your care
team, but you've never talked with another
young adult maybe your age to ask them,
"How is the pump situation when you're in
college, or when you're going to a party?
is it fine?
Do you like it?
Do you play sports?
What does that feel like?" And those
types of conversations that are real and
authentic is truly what ties in that sense
of belonging so that you can have true
conversations about what's important.
You also mentioned all the different
transitions that happen in young
adulthood, and I think there's some common
ones that many of us can think of, right?
Switching, aging into a different
school, or switching colleges,
or moving away from home.
Are there some transitions that maybe
aren't so quick to come to mind that
you're learning about and learning
to be aware of through your work
at the Link with the young adults?
Yes, that's such a great question.
Even just this week, this is something
I didn't think about, but a lot of our
young adults were supporting each other,
talking about getting a driver's license.
And I was diagnosed after I already
had my license, so I didn't think
about it too much, but a lot of the
young adults were sharing some fears
around managing diabetes, driving,
maybe driving far distances, what that
looks like, what the process is like.
Are they allowed to get a license?
there were so many questions that are
coming up, and those are things that
for maybe someone who doesn't live
with diabetes, it's such, a day-to-day,
something they don't even think about.
They just jump in the car, and
they go wherever they're going.
But when you have diabetes, yeah,
you might have to think about,
do I have snacks in the car?
Do people need to know
where I'm driving to?
There's some other layers
and thought process there.
So within, yeah, some of those
bigger transitions, maybe it's
getting your first job, starting a
family, going to your wedding day.
I recently had a conversation with
a young adult talking about, her
anxieties around just going to her
own wedding, what that looks like, how
she's gonna manage her blood sugars.
Is it gonna be on the
back burner that day?
Is she gonna have a plan?
So there's so many transitions,
especially from those teen years from
going to an interview to advocating
for yourself at a doctor's appointment
on your own without your parents.
a lot of what we hear and a lot of
what our young adults talk about is
that transition, especially from high
school into whatever's next, whether
that's college, or maybe it's going to
your first job, going to trade school,
whatever that next step is, or traveling.
I feel like that piece,
comes up over and over again.
Let, let's talk a little
bit about that, right?
When people hear diabetes community,
they, often kinda picture something
more formal, like a big formal
support group or a, a room full
of people talking about diabetes.
But that's really only one version, right?
can we start with maybe some
of these big misconceptions?
What are some of the misconceptions
about community, and conversely,
what can it actually look like
for a young adult with T1D?
Maybe we all, when we think of support
groups, think of, people sitting
in a circle, and there's maybe, a
facilitator, and you're nervous.
"When are they gonna call on me? What
do I have to talk about?" and that's
traditionally maybe what supports
groups used to look like or feel like.
But yeah, it has changed a lot, and I
think the coolest part about Community
is thinking about what it can be
for you and what you actually want.
But I'd say some of the mis- big
misconceptions are definitely, yes,
that setting of, sitting in a circle,
or maybe you're having to chat with a
caregiver in order to, get to community,
or that community has to be this big
commitment, or people may think that
sometimes when we think of community,
it has to be more than one person, and I
think that could be a barrier in itself.
And for sure, I think, too, you might go
online and see all these people hanging
out and doing all these cool things,
but it really doesn't have to be that.
so I would say if you're sitting and
you're listening and you're like, "Woo,
all those things overwhelmed me," or,
"I'm not, I'm still not understanding
what community can mean for me," I would
say, the biggest, guidance I'd give is to
sit and just ask yourself what's missing.
like I talked about earlier
in this episode, I was missing
just knowing one other person.
All I wanted was to know one person.
I didn't even know if we were gonna be
friends, but I just wanted to know that
someone else out there existed and maybe
might have some similar experiences as me.
so yes, it can be small.
It can take a small step.
It can be a text message.
It can be if you see someone in line at
a restaurant with a device on, just going
and introducing yourself and saying hello.
Like, all of those actions
are points of community.
so you can really make it, what you
want it to be, but I would say always
think about what's missing and what
do you need to lean on right now.
And again, no commitment.
Community doesn't have to be
something you do every Friday,
for the rest of your life.
It could be something that you jump in
when you want to and jump out when you're
focused on different areas of your life.
The Diabetes Link has specialized,
making communities for young adults feel
like a, a great, safe, useful place.
What would you say, young adults
have taught the organization about
what makes a community feel welcoming
and useful and worth returning to?
I would say if we've learned anything
from our community, it has definitely
been that, one, they're craving community.
That's something that's,
top priority for them.
and also that they want something
that's less structured and less formal,
something that's low-key, meets in
the w- that meets them where they're
at, is honest And it helps them.
I would say that is what they're wanting.
And more recently, I would say that
most of our community is asking for more
opportunities for in-person meetups.
I think we've definitely
provided online community.
People are able, like we said,
to connect on social media
in all these different ways.
but a lot of people are really wanting
that in-person connection, 'cause I think
we can all agree that there's something
special about seeing people in person than
to just seeing them on a screen, right?
We had a young adult who is really
passionate about ceramics, and she
wanted to do a meetup where she
could share that passion of ceramics
and painting with young adults who
live with diabetes in the community.
So she prepped all these bowls,
and they met up together.
They painted bowls together.
They had conversations, and it was,
I feel like the activity was a nice
segue where not so much pressure
and focus has to be about diabetes.
It can be like, let's just do this
new activity together and just
see where our conversations go.
But we all know, if you live with
diabetes, we're gonna be talking about
diabetes because it's fun to talk about.
And I, realize even sometimes with
some of my coworkers who don't live
with diabetes, when we're all hanging
out, they're like, "Wow, you guys
really talk about diabetes a lot."
And I think, it's because it's nice, and
it's refreshing to have, have that space.
And then we've also had
meetups that are intimate.
They're smaller groups, versus we've
had meetups that have had 25 people,
where amongst those 25 people, there's
small groups talking, and people
are chatting or going on walks.
And it, I think, really what we've
found is all of those types of
hangouts or meetups are welcome, but
really what people want is something
that's really low pressure, where
they can come as they are, come when
they want, and leave when they want.
so it also takes away maybe that
structure, like maybe at a support
group at a hospital, where it's
like, "Come from 4:00 to 5:00."
This is like, "Come, hang out. If you like
the vibes and it feels good, stay till
the end." And most people stay till after,
'cause they're having such a good time.
But really just having a space
to do that, I think, they create
their own culture within the group.
So it's been really awesome
to see our young adults lead
the way on these meetups.
Yeah, 100%.
and what I'm hearing is that there's
not necessarily any one size that,
that fits all, and there's a lot of
value in that shared understanding
about diabetes, even if diabetes
isn't the, part of the main activity.
But that still brings people together.
I really love that.
All right.
let's take a quick break here.
When we come back, we're gonna
get a little more practical about
finding your people or even creating
something simple when the community
you need doesn't exist yet.
We'll be right back
One of my favorite things is sharing
a quick story from someone who's
participated in the Blue Circle Health
program, and we have one today from Sarah.
My name is Sarah Nunn.
I am 27, and I was eight years old when
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
For nearly 20 years, I navigated
the disease with the help of my
doctors, family, and friends, but I
didn't have a community that truly
understood what my life was like.
Like a lot of kids with diabetes, I
didn't have any friends with diabetes or
any chronic illnesses who could relate
to the struggles I had day-to-day.
Growing up, this made it difficult to
connect with people on a deeper level.
Diabetes became a nuisance that I worried
would interfere with my relationships.
When I heard about Blue Circle Health,
I had been struggling with insurance
coverages and getting my medications.
But upon meeting my peer support guide,
Zana, I knew I would be taken care of.
She answered all of my questions
with care and interest.
She, along with most of the Blue Circle
Health team, had diabetes and knew
right away what I was going through.
I immediately felt hopeful
that the team could give me the
confidence to continue my journey.
She connected me with other team
members who helped me navigate
everything from insurance to nutrition.
The prescription assistance program was
a huge help with getting my supplies, but
the most helpful thing overall was having
a community of people I could go to for
guidance and support with no judgment.
Blue Circle Health is an amazing
program that I couldn't be more
grateful for, and I wish more people
knew about it so it could help
them like its programs helped me.
All right.
Welcome back.
We've talked about how many
different forms community can take.
Now let's get into helping
someone figure out where to begin.
So can you give us a quick tour of
some of the ways that the Diabetes
Link helps young, adults connect?
Do that in a lot of different ways.
So We help students, again,
that are on college campuses.
Maybe they are in high school and
they're planning to head off to college
next year, and they're like, "I don't
even know where I need to start."
maybe they're not even looking for
a community, but they're like, "Does
community already exist on this campus?
Is there any kind of programs on campus?
How do I prepare?
What do I need to know?" So we actually
have a program called Off to College that
helps students with answering some of
those questions so they feel prepared.
And then once they're feeling confident,
we also always let students know, "Hey,
if you go to school, and you start
school, and you meet someone, and you
wanna join a club, or you wanna start
a club, or you haven't met anyone, but
you want to meet someone, we can help
you through that process and let you
know what that looks like, and connect
you with other students at other college
campuses who are in the same shoes
as you or asking the same questions."
And I really think that type of community
that's beyond the campus, it's to
other campuses and to other students,
helps people feel less alone again.
But also, it helps them know that they
can lean onto something when things
feel scary or they're unsure, they
can lean on some sort of community.
So that's one way.
And then we talked a little bit about this
online community, and I know it sounds
like, whoa, what's this crazy universe?
What is an online community,
and what does that even mean?
So we use a platform called Discord,
and we found that our young adults
are very familiar with Discord because
people use it for gaming, but also a
lot of professors use it for different
activities in college campuses, whether
it's, group projects or group chats.
So we have created this online
community, and it's almost broken up
into different categories so that people
can go into these, sub conversations.
So one of them might be resources.
You go in there and people are sharing
different resources or programs
that exist, like Blue Circle Health.
we can share different things in there.
And then we also do activities in there.
So we know that maybe not everyone has
the luxury of knowing someone in person
or has that opportunity to know someone
in person that lives with diabetes, so
within our online community, we offer,
game nights, and hangouts, and coffee
hangouts so that people can still feel
connected as much as they can online.
And again, there's no commitment, and
you can join an online community, and
you can chat, ask questions, or you
can be a silent observer and just be
listening and seeing what people are
talking about, maybe vibe checking if
it's a place that you wanna hang out.
But what I've noticed, especially with
the online community It's less that these
people are just like hanging out in there.
It's more so people jump in when they
have a question or they want some kind
of connection, and then they jump out
The organization has evolved a lot, right?
Can you, and you probably were going here
anyway before I jumped in to interrupt,
but let's talk about some ways where
maybe people who are not at school or not
interested in being students, are still
finding ways to connect through The Link.
Yeah.
So Discord is definitely, and our
online community is, exactly for that.
We noticed that, yeah, not everyone's
a student, so how can we build a
community where anyone can go in?
And we even have channels in
there that are adulting, so people
can talk about some of those big
transitions, and what does that even
mean, and what does that look like?
Not everyone wants to go to college.
Not everyone has the opportunity
to attend college, and they're
still juggling similar challenges,
and they're still craving that
connection with other young adults.
So really be- in everything that we
do, I would say probably our Chapter
network is the only one that's very
specific to college students, but
our online community is for anyone.
And then especially these in-person
meetups, we wanted them to be something
for, yes, maybe some of our students
that have gone through our programming
can go to after they graduate, but
we also wanted it to be somewhere
where anyone is welcome to have a
touchpoint and have a connection, and
that's why we don't have an agenda.
There's not one type of
person that's invited.
There isn't a template for them to follow
around community, around connection.
we just want them to have the spaces
and the opportunities to connect, so
really in everything that we do in our
programming, and something different
that we're doing now that we've expanded
our reach and expanded our community,
is that now our programming that we're
connecting is coming from young adults.
we're truly asking them, "What's
important to you right now?
What do you care about?" "What's
relevant in your life?" Or "Where's
there missing gaps, and how can we as
an organization support you in that
or support what's important to you?"
And I think that's something really
cool that even in the last couple
years that I've worked at the Diabetes
Link, is to see that come to life.
you mentioned one of the, the key
turning points in your life with
diabetes and finding community was
reaching out to someone on Instagram.
But reaching out to a stranger
can feel pretty awkward, right?
What, can you offer some ways that,
what might a simple low-pressure
invitation actually sound like, or
maybe what did you even say when you
reached out to that person on Instagram?
Yeah.
That's such a good point.
It can definitely, it can
be intimidating, right?
Even if it might seem like something
small, like sending a DM on Instagram
can still feel intimidating, 'cause
you might get in your head about it.
"Are they gonna respond? What do
I say? Is this making someone feel
pressured to be my friend when
I just wanna, chat with them?"
and I think at the end of the day, I
can't remember exactly what I said,
but I'm sure it was along the lines of
something like, "Hey, I have diabetes.
I saw that you have diabetes."
"Can we talk?" 'Cause that's truly
what I, I needed at the time.
And to your point, yes, it can feel
awkward, but I always tell myself
that the worst thing that can
happen is no response, or someone
says no, or maybe not right now.
But even in that, it doesn't mean that
the door to community is closing, right?
It might push you to connect with
someone else, or you might bump
into someone, or you might get
invited to some type of meetup.
Also, if you have met someone maybe,
or you bumped into someone, you
guys exchanged numbers, but it's
n- hasn't gone beyond that, that's
an opportunity also just to text
someone and just see how that goes.
And it could be a casual, "Let's go
for a walk," or, "Let's grab a coffee,"
or, "Let's chat for a few minutes.
I wanted to ask you something."
I love that.
Those are very wise words, very well said.
All right, let's
fast-forward a little bit.
Someone has connected with people.
They are in community, whatever
that means for them at that time
What should someone look for in a
healthy and welcoming community?
And, maybe what are some signs
that it's not a great fit, right?
and I think this can feel especially
important online, where personal
experiences and medical information
sometimes get mixed together.
how can people protect their
privacy, their boundaries, and maybe
most importantly, their energy?
That's such a good question.
I think that's so important, especially
like you're saying, it does get blended,
the medical and… Because what we're
dealing with is something medical, but
also these connections we're making, maybe
they're not medical professionals, right?
so a few things to look for.
One, this is more of a gut check
that I always do with myself, is
before I'm gonna engage in whatever
community looks like for me, I
always sit with myself and check in.
Like, how do I feel before?
Am I anxious?
Am I nervous about this?
Am I excited?
How do I feel during
these interactions, right?
In the online community,
do I feel good in here?
Or if it's an in-person meetup, do I
feel comfortable in these conversations?
Do I feel respected?
Are things aligning with me?
Do I like the diversity
and conversation here?
And then asking yourself after,
like, how did you feel after?
Did it feel like your cup got filled,
or do you feel drained, right?
Is your energy… D- Was
that exhausting for you?
And I think that's just a good gut check
in general of, figuring out the places you
wanna be in and the ones that feel good.
But definitely making sure, yes,
your boundaries, you feel respected.
I always think, something really
important in these spaces is just
diversity in experiences, but also
diversity in conversation, right?
I think that's really important, too.
If there's a local community in
your city and there's a meetup
and you attend it, it wasn't your
favorite, didn't feel good, you could
always start something on your own.
Or if you connected with one person
there and maybe not the whole group,
you can still meet up with that
person and do something different.
Yeah.
Great.
Val, as we begin to wrap up here, if
you could go back and speak to yourself
shortly after diagnosis, what would
you want younger you to know about?
You don't have to figure
it all out by yourself.
It's okay to ask for support, and
it's okay to not have all the answers
and to take everything day by day.
And when you lean on community, it can
truly change everything for you, and
that is what happened to me, and I never
thought that was gonna be possible.
But truly leaning on community has changed
my whole experience with diabetes, and
I hope that everyone listening has that
opportunity as well to make, whether it's
one friend, a group chat that you join,
an in-person meetup that you go to for
the first time, that experience of that
sense of belonging and that you don't
have to go through it alone, and you're
not going through it alone, can really
change, the way you show up the next day.
Beautiful.
So well done.
All right, last question.
Where can listeners learn more
about the resources and connections
available through the Diabetes Link?
You can find us in a
lot of different spaces.
So you can find us on our
website, thediabeteslink.org.
This is a great place to know
what events are happening in
our online community, in person.
this is where you can find free
resources that are made by young
adults, also by clinicians.
this is our hub of all things, so
feel free to check out our website.
Also, our Instagram page
Val, thank you so much
for coming on the show.
A- again, it was just really a pleasure
to chat more with you, and thank you
for opening up about your story and
all the, the great connections and
community that you've experienced and
have then turned into, doing all you
can to build that for everyone else.
Thank you.
Thank you, Scott.
Thanks for having me.
This was so fun.
Thank you.
One of the things that really stood
out to me in this conversation is how
community isn't one size fits all.
Someone who grew up with type 1
diabetes may want something different
from someone who was diagnosed as a
young adult, and what feels helpful
may change as you leave home, finish
school, begin working, or simply
enter another stage or season of life.
If you're curious about community
but don't know where to begin, start
by asking yourself what kind of
connection would be helpful right
now, and then take one small step.
Maybe explore one of the Diabetes
Links resources, look for a local or
online opportunity, or send a text
to someone who might understand.
We'll be sure to include links to
the Diabetes Link and its community
resources in the show notes, and until
next time, keep living well with T1D.