Not long after I met my now-husband, I became seriously unwell. It took longer than it should have to understand what was happening. I owe my life to the A&E team at Homerton Hospital who, one night twenty years ago, rigged me up to two drips and gave me what my body couldn’t produce: insulin. I walked out of that hospital grieving. Grieving a version of myself, and a freedom I would never quite return to.

The thing with invisible illness, is that it hides in plain sight. And when diabetes entered the picture of my health, everything became even more complex. Managing my blood sugar while navigating another chronic illness I have was one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn. 

I live fully and I haven’t let it hold me back at all. I’m a yes-person, through and through. But if I’m honest to myself, nothing truly nothing kicks my butt day and night, like diabetes.

Getting a pump and a glucose monitor a few years ago was a turning point for me. Things became more manageable. My energy returned. I felt a little more like myself again. Medical technology gave me a bit of my freedom back.

This is just a bit of my story. Every diabetic has their own. And now I want to hold space for those stories to be processed through yoga and meditation. To create a space for healing, the fierce and quiet strength it takes to live with Type 1.

So this November, as I begin leading a retreat on World Diabetes Day (November 14), I’d love to offer something small but meaningful — a free online workshop for anyone living with Type 1 diabetes, or for those who care for someone who is. Sign up for free via the link below and your name will go on the list (the link will get sent out an hour before the workshop)