YOUR BELLA LIFE

Since 2010, it's been 10 years after being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It was very hard for me, but I was able to manage it. On May 10th, 2010 I was brought to the hospital because I was in a very bad condition. I would have died not only for not being treated earlier but also due to a medical error. Instead of being given insulin to reduce my blood sugar, I was almost given Glucagon which increases blood sugar levels. This would have killed me. One week later, while hospitalised, I was about to be injected 10 times my usual dose. This would have also killed me. Today, I not only celebrate the fact that I am still alive but also the start of a new journey. A journey that is full of obstacles but also a journey to make my voice heard to bring a change. A journey to help people living with Diabetes, to not give up. Diabetes affected me in different ways.  I almost gave up on my life because I would not handle injecting myself every day, losing friends, and all the bad things that...

In February 2020, I attended the Global Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance Forum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The theme of the forum was to bridge the gaps in NCDs. It was attended by almost 400 delegates from 85 countries all over the world. One of my greatest take away from the forum was about the power of lived experiences in bridging the gap for NCDs. “IM patient for change”. I learned that we people living with NCDs, until we speak, no one will speak for us, or speak the way we want to. This is to mean that we have to make our voices heard because nobody will do it or even if someone does, it will not be exactly the same as if we expressed ourselves. I also learned that the day people with NCDs will stop talking, is when we will die. This is to mean that we have to share our stories and they will bring a change. I also learned that there should be nothing for us without us. This implies that the lived experiences have to be involved in the advocacy. The lived experiences have...