Adventure D launch weekend!

On Friday morning 12th September 2014, after a night of minimal winks and maximum anticipation, my brother, Chris, and I made our way to CYE sailing center in Chidham West Sussex, for the inaugural Adventure D kayaking weekend!  The two day event in impossibly beautiful surroundings, would see eight fabulous people with diabetes, including Claire Pesterfield, a type one herself and diabetes specialist nurse to boot, along with a team of volunteers and instructors, take the attendees from 'never been in a kayak' to having advanced skills and being equipped with the knowledge of how to kayak safely.  

As the group started to arrive, any fears or nerves we had about the weekend slipped away as the smiling, keen faces of the fabulous group getting to know one another showed us that this was going to be a great weekend.  The weather was idyllic, the harbour was still and the gentle murmur or friendships being made set the relaxed pace for the weekend. We settled after our carb-counted meal and learned from Claire how we might adapt insulin and food intake for the water-based sessions the next day.

Saturday saw the group take to the water, starting off in practically unsinkable 'sit-on-top' kayaks, to learn about strokes, boats and safety.  Throughout the day were relaxed but regular breaks to allow for blood testing and tweaks to insulin or carb intakes here and there, and grow in confidence on the water.  The sessions ended with games - transforming the once-cautious sit-on-top users to competitive kayakers, losing any inhibitions they had in order to smash the other team out of the game, all the while donning fully-fledged Pyranha kayaks, and pulling out some professional moves in order to win the ball, catch the 'robber', or make it through the finish line first.   The laughter resounded through the harbour we called our own. Watching from the sidelines, this was the Adventure D dream come true, playing out in front of us.

After a delicious home-prepared and carb-counted curry, the group made for the local pub to share a drink with their new-found friends and to re-tell their favourite moments of the day. It was without doubt one of my favourite moments of the weekend; watching budding kayakers become friends and for some of the group, mix with fellow people with diabetes for the very first time.

Sunday saw the group of kayakers, now confident on the water and ready to put their new-found diabetes knowledge to the test, take to the water, keen and excited.  As we journeyed through Chichester harbour to the beautiful sights of Bosham, the instructors gushed about what a delight it was to teach this group. The Adventure D group.

As the Sunday came to a close and the Adventurers told us how they wanted to buy kayaks, had grown in confidence or didn't want to go home, we knew they had enjoyed it as much as we had. Every. Single.  Moment.

When I think about the first time I tried kayaking, a smile creeps across my face, and I can almost feel the warmth of the sun and the spray of the saltwater on my skin.  It was a clear day in late summer, there was no wind to speak of and the water in the harbour glistened as the rays bounced off the gentle undulating waves as the water ebbed and flowed.  That day was good.  This weekend, was perfect. 

Thank you to the wonderful people who joined us for the weekend, and made the event such a success.  Here are your best bits :)

European Blogger's Summit: how YOU can get involved!

Last year I was lucky enough to able to attend the European Blogger's Summit in Barcelona because of the work Insulin Independent has done with Animas (hosting the event) over the past 3 years. It was an insightful and informative experience with fascinating information on how to increase traffic to blogs, but as a group the overwhelming feedback was that we wanted to really open up a dialogue with each other about the local challenges faced by our respective communities; communities which once a year are stripped of their geographical boundaries and amalgamated into one truly global community. This year, Animas gave us a day, several pots of coffee and a place to talk: the rest came down to us.

What became overwhelmingly clear as we came together and began to talk about the challenges was that while we often face many of the same general hurdles - like access to medical technology, political battle or stigma - the ways in which those challenges play out locally, can be very diverse.  The purpose of this meeting was to share our experiences with each other and this year the question which repeatedly raised its head as each blogger took to the presentation stage was this: is there a way you can help us?

But as diverse as the group of people who came together were, we are by no means a true representation of the diabetes community.  We are just a few faces of a community whose reach expands across the world.  So rather than just give you a run-down of the topics we covered, this post is about how YOU could also get involved. 

Spare a Rose

First up Kerri Sparling talked about the Spare A Rose campaign which took the online communities by storm earlier this year.  The idea behind the campaign - started by Partnering 4 Diabetes Change (P4DC) and supporting the International Diabetes Federations's (IDF) Life for a Child movement - is that during the highly commercialised event of Valentine's Day, rather than buying a loved one a dozen red roses, instead give the 11 roses, and give the equivalent cost of one red rose (around $5) to the Spare a Rose campaign, which, through the IDF, provides insulin ad education to developing countries where not only is insulin desperately hard to come by, it can keep a child alive for a month - just for the cost of one red rose which may wilt and die within days.  Spare a Rose started in America in 2013 and raised an impressive $3,000 in its first wave.  But by Valentine's day 2014, it had raised over $24,000, involved more than 24 countries and reached around 8 million people via social media attention.  Just imagine what it could do in 2015?  So if you tweet, blog, give to charity or feel passionately about the situation in impoverished countries and realise how lucky we are to have a butter compartment stocked full of life-giving insulin, then please give whatever exposure (or donation) you can to #SpareARose.  

#ShowMeYouDiabetes

From Italy we learned from Biagio Barletta that they had been working tirelessly on a campaign to educate and awareness raise about life with diabetes, using Twitter as a platform for change.  On the back of the incredible #ShowMeYourPump campaign started by Miss United States of America hopeful Sierra Sandison (Idaho) which took the world by storm during the Summer of 2014 and saw people 'outing' their pumps in a bid to break taboo, Italy are going one step further.  They ask that every day you post a picture on Twitter of YOUR life with diabetes; what it means to you.  Do you use a pump?  Can you share a fact?  Do you want people to know what a blood test looks like?  Then do it, using #ShowMeYourDiabetes.  Make the world see what diabetes really is.  

Parliamentarians for Diabetes Global Network

Renza Scibilia, representing Diabetes Australia as well as her blog, Diabetogenic, talked about Parliamentarians for Diabetes Global Network - an advocacy programme established by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in December 2013.  Renza asked bloggers to highlight this Network of parliamentarians who established eight global aims which, amongst others, include eliminating stigma towards people with diabetes, encouraging governments to make active efforts to meet targets set by the World Health Assembly, to provide a platform for dialogue and to work towards urgent action.  How can you do this?  Through the power of your local Member of Parliament.  By linking with them and highlighting the urgency, need and global importance of this network, we can show them why the PGDN is a commitment they can, and should, make.  The Network is only open to parliamentarians so the power is within our hands to bring this powerful and potentially influential network onto the radar of parliamentarians. 

Bringing community for people with to Germany

Ilka and Finn from Mein Diabetes Blog, and Tine from I Can Eat Everything were taking part on behalf of the fast-growing influential German diabetes community, and Ilka presented about the lack of events and come-together occasions for people with type 1 in Germany, and the isolation she felt on walking into an event for diabetes, and being the only person with type 1.  Ilka demonstrated the power of the diabetes community when she approached sponsors to ask for  funding for a diabetes event specifically for people with type 1, and a few months later arranged an event attended by over 180 people from across the country. So if you want to get involved in more events for people with type 1, keep an eye on these  blogs.  Ilka also spoke about the changes going on at MySugr headquarters and new developments of the already wildly popular app.  They look like they could truly make waves in engaging even further with their communities, so keep your eyes peeled!

Adventure D, peer reviews and psychosocial support for people with diabetes

And finally representing the UK The Grumpy Pumper's Chis Aldred and The Understudy Pancreas' Annabel Astle told of their extensive work in the last year with Diabetes UK, JDRF and healthcare professionals in the NHS to help shape services and education.  In particular, Annabel spoke passionately about the Peer review processes she had been involved with to look at the diverse experiences of paediatric care and services in the UK.  

I presented about access - or lack thereof - to psychosocial support within diabetes clinics, and the way in which people experiencing any psychological challenges have no clear path with which to access services available within the  NHS.  This is a project with Ninjabetic's Laura Cleverly at the helm, and the project is so very in its fledgling form that I am not yet ready to share what the next steps are for us locally, but as was intended with these groups, we were already able to learn from the global communities around the table about how they had started these processes within their respective communities.  So watch this space! 

And finally, I told the group about the success of the Adventure D launch weekend (more on this, later).

As the summit drew to a close a list of actions were compiled and plans agreed as to how to move our respective projects on in the coming weeks and months.  

It's not often the  global diabetes 'online' community can come together to become  a global 'offline' community, but when it does, it is a powerful thing. And as the mandatory group shot was taken and the event came to an end, a promising future of global focus on local challenges was emerged.

Adventure D launch: come and be part of it

When I fist posted about the start of Adventure D, a project my brother, Chris, and I had started, we were taking a gamble as to whether or not people would agree with us that people with diabetes should have more opportunities to get shoulder-to-shoulder and try adventure sports.  As it happens, we didn't need to worry so much.

Our first weekend, a Learn to Kayak weekend, being held at CYE Sailing Centre in Chichester Harbour, is filling up beautifully...but there s still space!

To explain a little more about the weekend, it is a learn to kayak weekend on 12th - 14th September, which will take you from basic to advanced skills, with freestyle games sessions included using the techniques you've developed.  All equipment and tuition is covered in the cost of the weekend so you would just need to bring yourselves and some basic personal must-haves which we can tell you more about.

The weekend will include a talk on exercise and blood sugar levels from Lead Diabetes Specialist Nurse Claire Pesterfield, who has type 1 herself, and who has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro!  She will give advice and information on the effects kayaking is likely to have on blood sugar levels, to give you an idea of what changes you may want to consider making to your insulin dosing.  This will be put into practice on the Saturday and Sunday across three sessions.

 

Food is all covered in the cost and will also include any hypo treatments you may need over the weekend, as well as there being 'hypo stations' in case sugars drop throughout the day.  The food will also be carb-counted to make everything just that touch easier. In the evening there will be some free time to explore local pubs or chill out in the 'snug' which is a mini cinema style room on the ship.

 

The accommodation is amazing and probably unlike anything you may have seen before.  You can see photos here, at the bottom of the page. The TS Resolute is a multi-purpose floating accommodation vessel with two decks; the lower deck containing the accommodation and snug (cinema) and the upper deck housing the conference room with 180 degree views out over the harbour.  Rooms are new, clean and bright, and all have en-suite facilities.  The cabins have ample room for two people to a cabin (which will be single sex unless you know each other and choose to stay in a room together) allowing you to get to know other people with T1 from the moment you arrive. 

 

The cost of the weekend including all the above is £150 pp which, as mentioned, covers tuition, accommodation, food and the informative talks.

There is still space so if you feel like joining the group for a fantastic weekend, just get in touch at info@adventure-d.org.uk

See you there!

Adventure D!

I was 25 years old the first time I caught my first stand-up surfing wave.  I was exactly 3 seconds older when I came plunging off it.  But as impressive as my wipe-out was, that feeling of complete elation and (wildly exaggerated) sense of total accomplishment, is a feeling I believe everyone should have a chance to experience.

As a person with diabetes (PWD), surfing had its challenges: where to keep hypo treatments; how to adjust my insulin to cater for the increased exercise; how to cater for the adrenaline of that first wave.  But with a team of people around me clued up on what to do and when, it wasn't impossible.  In fact, I barely even remembered I had diabetes as I threw myself into the waves time and time again.

Adventure sports can be a daunting prospect for a person with diabetes. But it doesn't need to be impossible - far from it.  And that's exactly what my brother Chris, a kayak and sailing instructor was thinking when he first told me about his idea to set up an organisation that would allow PWDs to try adventure sports in a safe environment - one that was mindful of the challenges faced in trying outdoor pursuits with the added dimension of diabetes. He also agreed completely as I poured over how incredible it would be to have people with diabetes have a chance to meet, share their experiences ad try something completely new together, knowing they would be safe while doing so.  And that was how Adventure D was born!

Set up officially in February 2014, Adventure D weekends and holidays will always be led by people with extensive experience of diabetes or, wherever possible, with a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) as part of the leadership team.  That means you won't need to worry that your unique management style or personal needs will be overlooked in order to to keep pace with the group.

 

Adventure D will also offer the opportunity to get together with other people affected by diabetes, whether you have it yourself, or care for someone who does. 

 

Our launch weekend will be taking place between 12th - 14th September 2014, and will be based at the incredible and unique CYE Sailing Centre in Chidham Harbour, West Sussex.  Able to cater for 20 people in total, but with interest already flooding in, the weekend will take you from never-kayaked-before to having a developing set of skills.  It will also give you the chance to mix and mingle with other people with diabetes.  This weekend is best suited to people with type 1 as the advice on offer from the DSN leading the education programme on the weekend will be more applicable to those with type 1. But the plans for the first type 2 weekends are already in place!

And this is just the scratching the surface of where Adventure D is planning to go.  Already under way are 2015 plans for more kayaking, surfing, skiing in Europe, traversing the peaks of the Lake District, sailing and even climbing!

If you want to know more about Adventure D or would like to express your interest in a spot on the kayaking weekend or any of the other events we are planning, please check out the Website, Twitter and Facebook pages.

Register your interest now!