‘Tis the Season.

For any resident patron of the DOC, November 1st signals the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month.

Diabetes month technically isn’t a part of our calendar here in Australia. We mark World Diabetes Day on November the 14th with the rest of the globe. However, technically our National Diabetes Week is observed every July.

Yet undoubtedly, it will still be pretty hard to avoid my social media feeds turning blue. Companies and orgs in the diabetes space will be launching campaigns to commemorate the occasion and raise awareness of their role in supporting PWD. Amplification of diabetes awareness throughout the DOC and beyond is guaranteed. It will be hard not to feel obligated to join in with the DOC and spread some diabetes awareness of my own, too.

Diabetes month usually culminates on World Diabetes Day on the 14th of November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting. Banting discovered insulin, along with Charles Best and John MacLeod, the hormone that went on to save the lives of millions of people with diabetes around the globe.

World Diabetes Day always gives me a nice, warm fuzzy feeling, leaving me feeling united with my diabuddies near and far. In recent years it’s involved a 24 hour World Diabetes Day Twitter chat, checking in with some of my #OzDOC friends around the country, Diabetes Research WA’s annual ‘research reveal’ event, and time in the company of some of my tribe.

Above all, my friend Emily Vuong, who is one truly amazing diabetes instagrammer (@emilysdiabetes), will be running the New York Marathon this weekend and raising funds for JDRF Australia. Please throw your support behind her if you can.

In the midst of all of this amazing stuff, I still feel the need to remind myself that as a person with diabetes, every day is diabetes day. Every month is diabetes month. I have to turn up to manage my diabetes every single day rain, hail or shine. I invest a fair chunk of my spare time into diabetes, year round. I don’t have to go to any extraordinary lengths to raise awareness of diabetes, even though I probably will.

My next couple of weeks largely involve studying for final exams, ahead of a much needed break from uni for the Summer. I expect I’ll still be checking in here, as time allows.

So however you choose to spend November, just know that your worth as a person with diabetes is not a reflection on how much diabetes awareness you wish to raise.

Happy November.