Connor O’Hara is a third-year graduate student in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Connor didn’t let his diabetes slow him down; in fact, he uses it as inspiration for his career! Calling diabetes a foundation for his pursuit of knowledge, Connor says “let us all be compelled to help drive and support the research and innovation that will bring new therapies and cures, and even turn #Type1 into #TypeNone.”
Christel is a Los Angeles based speaker, writer, diabetes coach and diabetes advocate. She has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1997 and at an early stage decided that it wasn’t going to slow her down. Her motto is “There is Nothing You Can’t do With Diabetes”. She writes about how to be Fit With Diabetes on DiabetesStrong.com. She also coaches people with diabetes from across the globe, online and in-person, and supports them in meeting their health and fitness goals.
Natalie has been living with type 1 diabetes since she was six years old and is based in NYC. She loves to travel in order to push herself outside of her comfort zone and has been to all seven continents and 50+ countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic Natalie has been salsa dancing, learning to knit, and writing to connect with others!
Mary Van Doorn, a mother of two from Dacula, Georgia, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes—but her diagnosis didn’t hold her back. Mary founded Sugar Mama Strong, a diabetes support group and wellness program for women. This is her story:
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when I was just 21 years old, the daughter of two type 2 parents. Our genetics run deep—almost every adult on my mother's side now lives with type 2.
Julie Paradis was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at age 28. Though she has encountered some challenges, including navigating pregnancy, she chooses to focus on the positive.
Brent Adame lives in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and is committed to thriving despite living with type 2 diabetes. This is his story:
A couple of weeks before COVID-19 shut the economy down, I noticed my eyesight was getting blurry and my appetite was insatiable!
I continued with my lifestyle, afraid to go to the doctor. I tested my glucose levels at a friend's about a month ago and was 359 and at one point 401. I got nervous and blew it off for a week. Then I got diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and nearly died.
My diabetes journey began in August 2016. I was 29 years old. Like many who are first diagnosed, I ended up in the hospital with high blood sugar, severe dehydration, fatigue and exhaustion. “If you were my sister,” I recall my doctor saying, “I’d send you to the hospital.” And off to the hospital I went. I remember that day like it was yesterday: the doctors, the nurses, the diabetes educator, the concerned look on my parents’ faces. I didn’t even know what diabetes was at the time, much less how it would change my life forever.
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At the age of four, Tiffani was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. At the age of 27, she completely lost her vision, was diagnosed with stage four renal failure and temporarily lost mobility due to complications of poor management. This is her story.
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