One of the first things 12-year-old Erin Willows ever searched for on the internet was the history of treatment for type 1 diabetes (T1D).
She couldn’t quite believe the images that met her eyes. Pumps the size of backpacks, huge, long needles and glucometers the size and weight of bricks all featured heavily in the search results!
Thankfully for Erin and others living with T1D, there have been many ground-breaking advances made in T1D monitoring and treatment over the past 20 years which make the future much easier to face.
Case in point: Erin’s Dexcom, ‘Pickle’. Check out Erin, her mum Deb and Pickle off on their first walk of the One Walk Step Challenge here!
Erin’s mum Deb says her CGM gives them peace of mind: “I have never felt more overwhelmed, afraid and out of control than in the first few days after Erin’s diagnosis. Thankfully, these feelings didn’t last long.”
“The team at Brisbane Children’s Hospital have been marvellous and our Diabetes Educator Gen is awesome – she lives with T1D as well. Our Dexcom has also helped a lot! Having it means we can all get a good night’s sleep and when Erin wants to have a sleepover or try to be Miss Independent with her friends.”
Erin and Deb aren’t alone. A strong medical team, community support, new and improved treatment options have all been proven to have an enormous impact on the well-being of people living with T1D.
CGMs and insulin pumps are positive strides in this direction, but there’s more to look forward to – just look at the work being done right now by T1D researchers around the world, including our very own Dr. Sybil McAuley.
So, what are Erin and Deb most looking forward to?
“Oh, how we would love an imitation pancreas… but failing that, a completely failsafe system, in a small discreet pump, that reads Erin’s BGLs and doses accordingly. The less attachments to her body, the better.”
Erin and Deb are participating in the One Walk Step Challenge this year to help support Aussie researchers who are developing new ways to treat, prevent and ultimately create a world without T1D. They know research is the key to help develop new technology which will dramatically improve the lives of people living with T1D, and one day, defeat it forever!
Support Erin and Deb’s walk to defeat T1D here or sign up to turn type one into type none.
This content was brought to you by our One Walk Step Challenge partners, Ypsomed. Visit their website here to find out more about the technology they have on offer.
