From Early Challenges to Changemaker

Meet Blair

I grew up in regional Victoria, and when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 11, everything changed pretty quickly.

I had to spend two weeks away from home straight after my diagnosis, and after that, every appointment meant hours of travel to the nearest city.

I didn’t have a family history of type 1 diabetes. My nan lived with type 2 diabetes, but she passed away just three weeks before I was diagnosed. Luckily, we had a close family friend with diabetes who really helped.

Soon after I was diagnosed, we reached out to Diabetes Victoria to learn more. I knew I needed to connect with other young people going through the same thing.

That’s how our local diabetes support group started.

Peer Support

At first, joining a peer group was all about not feeling alone and figuring out how to manage my diabetes. Now, it’s also about giving back, speaking, sharing, and helping others. It’s not just about diabetes anymore; it’s about having a community that’s there for you, no matter what.

I’m now passionate about sharing what it is like for a young person to live with diabetes and advocating for better access to diabetes technology. Things like continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) take away so much of the stress – especially the fear of low blood glucose levels at night.

Ultimately, I am hopeful that one day there will be a cure.

But until then, I hope every young person can get the tech that makes managing diabetes easier - and a community that’s got their back.