Category Archives: Events

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February 10, 2016 – 9:03 am

“They” like to say that all news is local, and in this case, the diabetes news is mostly local. Or at least local to where I am. Let me explain…

There is still time to register for the Diabetes UnConference, March 10-13, in Las Vegas. But even if you’re not attending, if you’re local, you can still attend the free Friday pre-UnCon sessions.

Want to explore sugar surfing with Dr. Stephen Ponder? Take a little time to go to advocacy boot camp? Want to check out the iLet? These sessions and more are open to the public on Friday, March 10. They are free of charge, but seating is limited. To secure your spot in one of the informative pre-UnCon Friday sessions, CLICK HERE.

Disclosure: I am part of the team of facilitators at the Diabetes UnConference in Las Vegas.
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If you’re living in the Mid-Atlantic, don’t forget about the JDRF Type One Nation DC Summit, happening March 5 in Bethesda, Maryland. This is another free event where you can get the latest on research, advocacy, and more. JDRF President and CEO Derek Rapp will give the keynote address this year. Gary Scheiner will be back, this time to talk about managing those pesky post-meal glucose spikes (guilty as charged). Tidepool’s Howard Look will be there, and if you haven’t yet heard him speak, you should. Cynthia Rice will cover advocacy for you, and the amazing Joe Solowiejczyk will be there to cover Diabetes and the Family: Making it Work for Everyone. All of it will be moderated by the fantastic Stefany Shaheen.

It promises to be another full day of information sharing and bonding with others touched by Type 1 Diabetes. For all of the information on the JDRF Type One Nation DC Summit, CLICK HERE.

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If you’re living in the Mid-Atlantic and you’ve somehow missed the notices about the Children With Diabetes weekend in Falls Church, Virginia April 8-10, consider this your fair warning. Think of this as a scaled down version of the Friends for Life conference that Children With Diabetes puts together in Orlando each July. And yes, there is plenty for adults as well as kids during this event. It’s for only one weekend, but there will be a number of topics presented by so many people who really know their stuff.

Gary Scheiner will be at this gathering too… Bennet Dunlap and Christel Marchand Aprigliano will lead three advocacy sessions, the last of which will include a panel discussion on artificial pancreas technology that includes Dr. Ed Damiano and Molly McElwee Malloy… and the Nightscout team will be there to tell you more about CGM in the Cloud, and even help you set it up for yourself. And that’s just a little of the incredible weekend that is to be in Northern Virginia April 8, 9, and 10.

To get more information, and to register for the FFL Falls Church weekend, CLICK HERE.

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Finally: Remember that HealtheVoices conference I went to last April? It’s coming back, April 15-17 in Chicago. Plenty of advocates living with numerous chronic conditions will gather and share and talk about how they get their advocacy on in their patient communities. This gathering helped me get the ideas to get my podcast off the ground last year, and I’m looking forward to what this year’s event will bring.

The best part? YOU have a chance to go too! Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which hosts the event, is taking applications from patient advocates who want to attend the conference right now. But they will only be accepting applications until February 22… so get there and get your application in today. To learn about HealtheVoices16 and apply for a scholarship to attend, CLICK HERE.

Disclosure: Janssen paid for my travel and accomodations to attend the 2015 HealtheVoices conference. All opinions are my own.

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As usual, March and April will be very busy months in the diabetes world. I hope you can make one or more of these important gatherings. Have any questions about any of them? Let me know.
 

By StephenS | Also posted in Like these links | Comments (0)

T2 Series: Mark your calendar.

October 2, 2015 – 11:50 am

Hey, did you know that TuDiabetes has a super live interview series? Every week, they’re interviewing someone new, talking about subjects that we all care deeply about.

During the month of October, TuDiabetes’ live events will focus on Type 2 Diabetes, featuring guests who really know what they’re talking about.
type2-live-series
Yesterday’s guest was journalist and author Gary Taubes, whose books Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, and Good Calories, Bad Calories (also known as The Diet Delusion in the UK) are widely read. He’s also co-founder of the not-for-profit Nutrition Science Initiative. In addition, he’s recipient of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research, and he’s won a boatload of awards for his journalism.

Did you miss this interview? It’s okay. TuDiabetes will be posting a copy of the interview shortly, so you can watch it whenever you want. Isn’t technology great?
 
 
On October 7, TuDiabetes welcomes Susan Guzman, co-founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute. It’s the first non-profit organization devoted to the emotional and behavioral aspects of living with diabetes. By trade, she’s a clinical psychologist specializing in diabetes. Her main focus is on overcoming emotional challenges that interfere with managing your diabetes on a daily basis.

They’re going to be talking about dealing with and overcoming the stigma that people try to lay on Type 2s on a regular basis. This should be a really interesting talk, and I, for one, cannot wait to hear it.
 
 
On October 13, Ansley Dalbo will be welcomed to TuDiabetes to talk about DiabetesWhatToKnow, a great resource for Type 2s who are just getting started in their life with diabetes, or are looking for a little more information to help them manage their Type 2 lives better from here on out.
 
 
On October 15, noted Type 2 and major advocate Bennet Dunlap will appear, talking about the recent launch of Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition, and how each of us can take a hand in carving out a better life for everyone living with diabetes.
 
 
And Mike Durbin will be on! The author of My Diabetic Heart will stop by on October 22 to talk about living with Type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure. Shame isn’t a part of his repertoire, and I’m thinking he might have some great advice for you and me too. This one has been already marked on my calendar.
 
 
Pretty good lineup, no? Want to be in on the happenings? Good. Here’s what you do:

CLICK HERE for a quick look at the calendar of events. Want to find out more about a topic? Click on the event. Can’t be more simple than that.
 
 
Hey, I’m not a Type 2, but I could stand to learn an awful lot about my brothers and sisters who are living with a type that’s not my own. Join TuDiabetes for the innovative T2 Series, and for heaven’s sake, be part of the discussion, learning, and empowerment that comes from being a member at TuDiabetes.
 

By StephenS | Also posted in Type 2 | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

The Diabetes UnConference Scholarship Window Is Closing!

September 28, 2015 – 9:16 am

Here’s your friendly neighborhood reminder guy with a friendly diabetes neighborhood… reminder:

Time is running out for you to apply for a scholarship to the Diabetes Unconference in Las Vegas next March.

You must have your scholarship application in by September 30! That’s Wednesday, folks.
Un
If you’re reading this, you’re probably living with diabetes, or you have someone very close to you who is living with diabetes. That means you never, ever get a break from the physical, and yes, mental aspects of having to survive the highs and lows, the stigma, the relationship issues, and everything else that diabetes lays at your feet.

The Diabetes Unconference is the only gathering that brings diabetes experts together (that’s you) in a safe, supportive environment to talk through all of the psychosocial issues we deal with in our walk with this disease.

You will find people who understand, people who will help, people who will let you know you are not alone. Take it from me: That is worth its weight in gold.

To make it easier for some to attend this important meetup, there are a number of scholarships available. Let me take a moment and let you know about them (from the Diabetes Unconference website):

Those Who Love Us Scholarship (1 available)
Available for a caregiver – significant other, spouse, family member, it includes air travel to and from Las Vegas, Nevada from the recipient’s area, The Diabetes UnConference registration for recipient, and two (2) nights stay at The Flamingo Las Vegas, including taxes and resort fee. Recipient will attend the sessions for caregivers. The recipient cannot have diabetes.

Type 1 Scholarship (1 available)
Available for individuals who have Type 1 diabetes/MODY/other, it includes air travel to and from Las Vegas, Nevada from the recipient’s area, The Diabetes UnConference registration for recipient, and two (2) nights stay at The Flamingo Las Vegas, including taxes and resort fee.

Type 2 Scholarship (1 available)
Available for individuals who have Type 2 diabetes, it includes air travel to and from Las Vegas, Nevada from the recipient’s area, The Diabetes UnConference registration for recipient, and two (2) nights stay at The Flamingo Las Vegas, including taxes and resort fee.

Room Scholarships (2 available)
You must already be registered to attend The Diabetes UnConference to receive this scholarship and must attend the entire conference to receive two (2) nights stay at The Flamingo Las Vegas.
It includes two (2) nights stay at The Flamingo Las Vegas, including taxes and resort fee.

Even better news: There will be an Alumni Scholarship awarded to a first-time attendee to the Diabetes UnConference. Those of us who attended the initial UnConference this past March have pooled our money to offer another person the opportunity to become part of the alumni for the first time. If that makes any sense at all. Anyway, this will include air travel to and from Las Vegas (unless the recipient is close enough to drive), conference registration, and two (2) nights stay at The Flamingo Las Vegas. More on this scholarship at a later date.
 
 
Now… what do you have to do?

CLICK HERE and complete the short scholarship application. Do it right now, because the application window closes at the end of the day on September 30.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the Diabetes UnConference helped change a number of lives last year. It also helped create and sustain new and existing friendships. It was special in ways I still have trouble describing. But I feel it in my heart, so I know it’s true.

I would like it if you could be there too. If you think you’d like to go, and you want to apply for a scholarship… Act now. I hope to see you at The Flamingo Las Vegas in just a little over five(!) months.
 

By StephenS | Also posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

New and old videos.

September 11, 2015 – 9:05 am

I’m talking old and new videos on this Friday… let’s start with the new:

New Videos
First, new videos. So new, in fact, that they haven’t been made yet. But a video will be made on Tuesday, September 15 at 4:00 Eastern time here in the USA. That’s when I’ll be talking to Rick Phillips of TuDiabetes. We’ll spend the better part of an hour talking diabetes, blogging, and whatever else Rick wants to talk about. I hope you’ll join us. CLICK HERE to find out more. When the time comes, CLICK HERE to follow along and join the conversation.

I’m really looking forward to this.
 
 
Now… old videos:

Old Videos
Back in April, I was lucky enough to attend something called the HealtheVoices Conference. It was a terrific weekend where I met many other people living with chronic conditions like mine. The interactions, the connections made that weekend are having a lasting effect on me (Diabetes By The Numbers), and this week, I was reminded of them again when these videos were released. I wrote about the weekend here. At the end of the conference, we sat down with an interviewer and answered three questions. The answer to those three questions, from many different points of view, is below.

Note: Janssen Pharmaceuticals paid for my travel, hotel, and meals so I could attend the HealtheVoices Conference. All opinions, as usual, are my own.

Why should you view these videos? Because you’ll see and hear people living with chronic conditions, many of whom are not living with diabetes, who are just as passionate about what they advocate for as I am about advocating for better access to care, treatment, and medication for People living With Diabetes. They are also reaching out and building communities and inspiring others, and I thought you might like to see who some of them are.

And hey… there are some DOC people in there too. In the first two videos, you’ll see the always compelling Christel Marchand Aprigliano. The last video starts with me, and also includes Karen Graffeo and Kerri Sparling, who always sound waaaaay better than I do.

When I saw my part, and saw that I was tagged as a Type 2 Diabetes advocate, I paused for a moment…

Then I realized, yeah, I live with Type 1, but I’m an advocate for all People With Diabetes, so if you want to label me as a Type 2 advocate, then okay… because I’m that too.

 

I hope your Friday is a good one, and I hope your weekend is full of fun and excitement. And good glucose. Remember:

I support you… no conditions.
 

By StephenS | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

#HealtheVoices15: We are not alone.

April 21, 2015 – 9:37 am

April 17 through April 19, I attended the HealtheVoices Conference in Jersey City, New Jersey. Janssen Pharmaceuticals paid for my train travel, hotel, and meals so I could take part in this gathering. In case you’re wondering, all opinions expressed here, or using the #HealtheVoices15 hashtag are entirely my own.
HealtheVoicesConference
I spent last weekend at something called the HealtheVoices conference in Jersey City. Unlike all of the diabetes conferences I’ve attended in the past three years, this conference brought in people living with a host of different chronic conditions.

And you know what? I discovered we are not alone.

Okay… sure… I knew that People With Diabetes are not the only ones living with a chronic condition. But when you get immersed in a cause, after a while, you tend to forget about the others who are out there working on different causes, lifting up others living with a different disease. One of the really cool things about this weekend was the opportunity to see and hear from people living with and advocating for those living with Chron’s disease, HIV, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cardiovascular issues, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, and so much more.

The presentations were well thought out and well presented. I liked learning how people are making a mark in their own patient communities. There were also presentations where we learned about the legal ins and outs of writing a blog, how to take an idea and get it funded, and the importance of telling our stories online and engaging with others to create a better community.

And just like the diabetes conferences, there was real value in the one-to-one, peer-to-peer conversations that happened over breakfast, lunch, dinner, and between sessions. Some of the best ideas I heard, and some of the most inspiring things I witnessed, came in those quiet moments where someone was able to share what they’ve experienced and what they’ve learned with a bigger audience. I got to watch groups from other conditions gather and share and laugh together, just like PWDs do. I found that the power of “me too” isn’t exclusive to diabetes.

So by now, you may be asking: What about the diabetes people in attendance? Well, let me tell you… the diabetes team absolutely rocked it this weekend.
BlueFridaysCheriseKarenKim
Cherise, Karen, Kim, and also Christel and Kerri (who also presented and was on the advisory panel for this conference) were sponges who spent equal time gathering information, listening to others, and sharing their stories and tips with others. They were tweeting like crazy and asking questions and engaging in conversation. One of the other things I learned about this weekend is that we’ve accomplished an awful lot all on our own.

I should also take a moment to thank the people at Janssen who gave up their weekend for this event. Thanks especially to Rachel Yurchak and Caroline Pavis, and to the people whose last names I don’t remember, like Stephanie and Beth. You made us all feel welcomed and important.

I’d like to think I’ve met a few people that I’m proud to say are friends now. I’d also like to think that I’ve found a few new things to aid me in my advocacy efforts.

Listen… My diabetes community bubble is good. It helps me when I’m down, it inspires me to perform advocacy, it has changed my life in a positive way forever. The great thing about the HealtheVoices Conference was that I could see, and learn from, additional communities that are doing the same thing, with people who are just as inspiring, and who encourage me to do better and be better. I will never forget their stories.
 
 
 

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