World Diabetes Day 2013

On the 14th of November every year, the diabetic world joins together to raise awareness of the disease for World Diabetes Day. Having only been an active project for a month or so, this became the first opportunity for the TypeNoOne group to join in the 22 year-old tradition - in the form of a Diabetic Bake Sale.

From 11am until 2pm, a stall was set up just inside the entrance of the Portland Building. Here we had information on the signs, symptoms and causes of both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. We had a myth busting competition where, by selecting true or false to six common misconceptions about diabetes, players could win prizes donated by local Nottingham businesses.

There were also cakes... which struck many people as ironic given the healthy lifestyle we were advertising!

However, these cakes were special - each had a label informing the buyer of the carbohydrate content and, most importantly, the amount of insulin that would be required for a T1D sufferer to eat that snack.

Overall, we raised £102.50 through sale of our baked goods and quiz entries, with 50% of the donations going towards research into a cure via Diabetes UK and the remainder going towards the UoN SU Type 1 Diabetes Support Group. While this total alone can be considered an achievement, we also succeeded in talking to many students, staff and academics about Diabetes. This was an opportunity to discuss our experiences living with the disease and hear how others had been effected - beneficial for both parties involved.

We joined the world in raising awareness of Diabetes on Thursday, 14th November 2013 - a tradition we hope to continue in the years to come.

By Kate Harborne

#diabetes #worlddiabetesday #mythbusting #bakesale