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Diabetic on the Margin: Gloria

"We live in a world where people of color are too easily and conveniently forgotten. For me, having the opportunity to join two other women of color living with type 1 diabetes, and show the world that we do matter was euphoric."--Gloria, T1D for 21 years   These passages were shared with me by Gloria, and edited ...

Diabetic on the Margin: Aisha

“I spent almost my entire life as a type 1 diabetic (15 years) not seeing myself.  Furthermore, as a woman, especially a woman of color, we're taught not to take up space.  And as a diabetic, we're trained to be strong... to not be afraid in the face of life or death situations.”  --Aisha, T1D for 15 ...

Diabetics on the Margin: Celebrating Diversity Within the Diabetes Community

Photography by Alfred Sarpeh of Royal Light Photography     The purpose of this project, Diabetics on the Margin: Celebrating Diversity Within the Diabetes Community, is to elevate the narratives of diabetics of color. I wanted to bring awareness to our existence, as young black and brown women, living ...

Black Panther: A Reflection on Blackness and Diabetes Platforms

Two weekends ago, thousands flocked to the opening of “Black Panther”, a highly anticipated film for a multitude of reasons. The most salient of these, being its depiction of an African king as Marvel’s and cinematic screen’s first culturally-affirming black super hero. Viral videos and GoFundMe campaigns attest to ...

New Year Reflections

In this second week of 2018, I’m thankful to God for new beginnings. 2017 was a tough one. I began the year struggling to adjust to a new job and questioning if I had made the right choice. I felt miserable and overworked. By mid-year, guilt and fear crept in. Every unwise choice and regret of the last 26 years festered ...

How Perfectionism Sabotaged My Diabetes Management

Historically, when I haven’t been good at something, I’ve lost interest and soon quit. At 5, I realized I had a fear of performing on stage and (momentarily) quit dancing. At 11, I realized I was no Serena Williams and quit my local tennis league. I quit piano at the age of 12 and shortly after left a selective Catholic ...

It’s a Celebration?!

I wrote an Insta post earlier this month about quietly acknowledging my 11th year of living with diabetes. I decided not to make a big hoopla of things, as my numbers had been quite unruly lately. In fact, this season was sprinkled with some of the highest and lowest numbers of my life—a reality that brought much ...