This National Diabetes Week (13-19 July 2025), I want to shine a light on a condition that’s personal to me, and that is, diabetes. As someone who has experience with drug-induced diabetes, which involves monitoring my blood sugar levels with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and multiple insulin injections a day, I’ve come to understand and experience what it’s like to be a diabetic.
What is Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects how your body regulates blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is the body’s main source of energy, and it needs the hormone, insulin, which is produced by the pancreas to move from your blood into your cells. When someone has diabetes, this process doesn’t work properly. Either the body doesn’t produce insulin, doesn’t produce enough or can’t use it effectively, leading to high levels of glucose in the blood. Over time, high blood sugar can damage organs, nerves, and blood vessels.
Types of Diabetes
There are several types of diabetes. Each with unique causes and management:
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes An autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas and requires life-long insulin therapy.
Type 2 Diabetes
This is the most common type of diabetes where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin. This can be managed with diet, exercise, medication and sometimes insulin.
Other Diabetes
Other types of diabetes includes Gestational diabetes and drug-induced diabetes.
More on Diabetes
Diabetes affects over 1.5 million Australians, and around 280 people are diagnosed every day. Yet, despite how common it is, there are still misconceptions:
”You can’t eat ANY sugar” (I thought so too, when I was younger, which I shared in my book)
“Only overweight people get diabetes.”
“You caused this yourself.”
How to Support Someone With Diabetes
This National Diabetes Week, here are a few simple ways you can make a difference:
Learn more about diabetes and the different types of it.
Check in with someone who you know has diabetes. Managing diabetes is a full-time job and sometimes invisible to others.