I was asked to join 33 other bloggers in the diabetes community to contribute our thoughts about the D community and what/how we support those with diabetes. All of us bloggers have a main goal: to raise awareness and to educate about the journey we are all on, living with diabetes. A bit about TheDiabetesCouncil.com:
TheDiabetesCouncil.com Is Not About Us…
It’s About You!
This site has been constructed with the purpose of providing up-to-date, emerging and reliable information for those living with diabetes.
Writing is not everyone’s strongest feat. Those who can convey a story, a lesson learnt, or a memoir through their writing are not only storytellers but also educators. Bloggers and advocates who write about diabetes are just that. Through their stories and experiences, they share with us a vulnerable part of them in order to get a message across just in case it can help someone else who may be in their shoes. Its their way of saying “you are not alone in your journey!”
This time we were asked:
- What is the hardest diabetes blog subject that you had to write?
- What are some of the best techniques that you use in order to create a story to draw the reader in, and also help keep their attention while they learn about diabetes?
- What are some of the most interesting comments or questions that you have had in relation to your articles about diabetes
To read all the answers, go to: 34 Diabetes Bloggers Give Us A Glimpse of Behind The Scenes
Here’s what I shared below.
Joanne Laufer Milo
A1: The hardest subject, actually before blogging, was about the death of my very close, T1 friend, at the age of 33. I attached the obituary notice I placed in the New York Times, in 1990 … I cried as I typed. I think we all feel particular pain when we hear of a loss in the T1D community. If someone is gone “too young”, there is a searing pain inside along with extreme sadness and compassion and fear. And even if the loss comes after a long life, it’s always such an honor to remember someone who went above and beyond in the D community. At any age, it just hurts.
I included a chapter in my book called Remembrance about Janet … contact me if you’d like to read it and the obituary notice I placed in the New York Times.
A2: It’s always a personal story, experience, interaction. I tell about what happened in my life and my feelings about it … and then go on to discuss why there is such an impact or how we all have similar events and feelings in our D lives.
A3: I recently had a very bad experience with a customer service rep and his supervisor at a major insulin pump company in which they suggested that I had possibly stolen an insulin pump or obtained one illegally. They wouldn’t listen and I was stunned. After an hour, getting nowhere (I was simply trying to order supplies), I hung up and put out a post asking for feedback on how to handle the situation and how to calm down. I got lots of emails, both on the site and directly to my email. Apparently the frustration of dealing with insensitive customer service coupled with the frustration of the mere fact of having diabetes … touched a nerve. It felt wonderful to just share my shock and also stir discussion on a situation we all are dealing with all the time, with our healthcare providers, insurance companies, device manufacturers, medical supply companies. Not all reps are living with diabetes and do not feel the stress or the urgency that we feel on a daily basis.
