Finding Your T1D Community

by Bri Snyder

When your child is first diagnosed, you may hear the statistic that there are approximately 20 million people living with T1D worldwide…but where are they? Here are a few things you can do to help find your T1D community!

Check social media!

The T1D community on social media is already huge and just continues to grow! I live in the middle of Indiana and my best T1D friend lives in Washington, DC while I work for TOT which is based in California. All of that thanks to social media! On Instagram and Twitter, look up hashtags. #t1d #typeonediabetes #typeoneparent are good places to start! On Facebook, there are plenty of groups dedicated to T1s/parents of T1s, including our own private Facebook group that you can check out here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/typeonetog

Attend events/meet-ups in your area!

Social media can connect us with others from literally anywhere and everywhere, but if you want to connect with others locally, try attending events in your area! Social media can be very helpful in finding these as well as a quick Google search. While the pandemic stopped us from in-person events for a while, virtual meetings became a huge hit! From parent chats to happy hours and everything in between, Zoom meetings have made a strong presence these past few years! Whether you’re looking to meet hundreds of T1Ds at a fundraising walk or just a few in your hometown, you’re bound to find something!

Summer camps!

As someone who attended diabetes summer camp when I was a teenager, I 100% recommend it for any diabetic kids! It was SO nice to go to breakfast and not be the only one whipping out my insulin pump or trying to figure out how many carbs were in my pancakes! Whenever I was low, every single person had a snack/juice for me and I didn’t feel like an inconvenience like we sometimes do in the real world. My endocrinologist had recommendations for camps in my area, but there are easily accessible lists out there on the internet! Many of them also have scholarship/financial assistance to help with costs too!

How did you meet your T1 community? Let us know!