Dandy December
Join our upcoming day long (9AM to 9PM) Facebook chat thread on carb counting by RSVP-ing here. Join our #BlueCircleWorkshops led by people living with diabetes, every Sunday 5PM India time - free and open to all!
#BlueCircleDiabetesCalendar 2023
Announcing the 4th edition of the Blue Circle Diabetes Calendar 2023 - India's first calendar featuring 12 people living with various types of diabetes. Stay tuned, we have been unveiling everyone featured on the calendar across our social platforms.
Order calendars and merch & support the NGO: https://www.bluecircle.foundation/store
Stay tuned for upcoming physical events in your cities! Don't miss the chance to meet other friends & families with diabetes! Any questions? Ask away on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India.
RSVP here for our upcoming Blue Circle Run Pune.
RSVP here for our upcoming Lucknow chai pe charcha.
RSVP here for the 3km fun run for diabetes in Pune in March.
We share all important information and updates on our social media handles, so ensure you join our Facebook community , follow us on Instagram , Twitter , YouTube and Facebook. Here's a quick low down on all that happened in November 2022 (which incidentally happens to be the diabetes awareness month too) at Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation.
We had 8 physical events in December 2022 - in Jaipur, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata and Kanpur
Glimpses from our offline meets
Our coffee catch-up Jaipur in December 2022 was fun!
We had an enjoyable evening walk with friends in Bengaluru in December 2022!
Our Pune friends clearly had a good time at the coffee catch-up in December. Stay tuned to our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India for updates in all cities.
Photos from the fun coffee catch-up in Mumbai in December 2022.
Our Delhi friends having a blast, as always. Stay tuned for the next one!
Our Kanpur friends had a lot of chai over charcha or was charcha over chai? Only one way to find out-join the next one!
Coffee with friends in Kolkata too! Too much fun in too many cities, find a community near you and join in!
Blue Circle Workshops (online)
Blue Circle Workshops are online weekend workshops, led by people living with various types of diabetes. These workshops are free and open for all, even non diabetics! We started these workshops in 2020 and have conducted over 150 workshops yet! Join in, have fun and learn new things. Sign up as a member and follow our social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube to know of upcoming workshops. Be a part of our awesome Facebook community too!
Insulin pumps & CGMs: Workshop
Let's talk tech with Nishtha (living with LADA) & Neeraj (living with T1), as they discuss insulin pump & CGM options in India.
Click the post below to view the workshop video on Facebook -
Frozen shoulder & diabetes: Workshop
Prashant (living with T2) & Ketki (living with T1) are in conversation with physiotherapist Dr Pooja Kanwaljeet Gandhi about frozen shoulder & diabetes- the causes, treatment and more. Tune in!
Click the post below to view the workshop video on Facebook (you can also view on YouTube here) -
Winter & diabetes: Workshop
Nandita, Rajiv (living with T1) & Dr Ekta (living with pre diabetes) talk about diabetes management during the winters. #BlueCircleWorkshops are free, online workshops on diabetes, by and for people living with various types of diabetes. Join us every Sunday at 5PM India time!
Click the post below to view the workshop video on Facebook (you can also view on YouTube here) -
Review 2022: FB chat thread
Together as a community we looked back at how 2022 was for each of us, diabetes wise. See our Facebook chat thread.
Meethi Baatein
21st Facebook Live of our series called Meethi Baatein to celebrate top contributors of our community on Facebook. Rohan was in conversation with Likith, who lives with pre diabetes, see the video here.
Leonard Award
In 2021 Lilly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin by launching the Leonard Award. The Leonard Award − inspired by the life of Leonard Thompson, a 14 year old boy & the first person with diabetes to be treated with insulin − recognizes diverse champions dedicated to advancing diabetes management and care.
The award recognizes four champions in the diabetes community, and will be giving a total of $100,000 USD to Life for a Child, a non-profit organization that provides access to care, education, lifesaving medicines and supplies to children and young people with type 1 diabetes in resource-limited countries.
Congratulations to the 2022 Leonard Award recipients:
1. Advocate/Advocacy Professional: Nupur Lalvani, CDE, of Pune, Maharashtra, India, for work as the founder of the Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation, India’s largest patient-led diabetes community and support group.
2. Endocrinologist/Primary Care Physician: Steve Edelman, MD, of San Diego, California, United States, for work as an endocrinologist serving the diabetes community and as the founder of Taking Control of Your Diabetes, a non-profit organization providing diabetes education and resources.
3. Diabetes Educator/Nurse: Yuan Li, of Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China, for work in establishing an educational diabetes management approach in medical facilities in China.
4. Researcher: Osagie Ebekozien, MD, MPH, CPHQ, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, for work leading the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative to reduce diabetes disparities in health outcomes.
IDF Conference, Lisbon
Nupur Lalvani was invited as an agent provocateur at the International Diabetes Federation Congress 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal, in the Living with Diabetes stream to facilitate discussions around the hidden impacts of diabetes beyond the cost of insulin. We also had a poster presentation at the conference about the meaningful engagement of people living with diabetes for enhancing diabetes management during COVID-19 in India. As we head back to our everyday lives, it's a reminder that there's still a lot of work to be done for people living with all types of diabetes around the world.
State Level Civil Society Consultation on NCDs & UHC
Ashlesha highlighted Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation's people centred and people-led work in diabetes across schools, workplaces and the community at large at the State level Civil Society Consultation on NCDs and UHC in Pune, Maharashtra.
Letter for Schools
Whether newly diagnosed or not, it's an anxious time for parents of kids with type 1 diabetes. Please feel free to click this post on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network India which will take you to a downloadable and editable letter for schools. Edit it with your child's specific details and share a signed copies with the child's school principal, teachers, etc.
You are welcome to email us on support@bluecircle.foundation if you face any issues or you would like us to organise a diabetes awareness programme at your school or organisations.
Buddy Project Helpline
The Buddy Project Helpline started during Covid19 and continues to be a diabetes & mental health support system & helpline, free of cost and open to anyone with any type of diabetes & their caregivers.
Read more about the helpline & to use the helpline, download the Blue Circle Diabetes mobile app on Android or iOS. Also read about the Blue Circle Diabetes app and all its features here.
The Buddy Project Helpline is our mobile app based psychosocial helpline for diabetes and mental health. Trained volunteers living with diabetes (type 1, type 2 & caregivers), speaking 7 different languages are here to listen to you without judgements. If you feel lost, depressed, anxious, panicky, suicidal or generally upset, please schedule a call with us. These are tough times but remember you are NOT alone, your community stands with you.
How to call the Buddy Project helpline
Image: screenshot of how to navigate the Buddy Project helpline on the app
Open the Blue Circle Diabetes app > Buddy Project > Schedule tab > pick a buddy of your choice > Schedule a call (once you schedule you'll see it under the 'Meetings' tab > 10 minutes prior to the call, you'll receive an app notification/reminder > To join the call, open the app, go to Buddy Project & under the 'Meetings' tab, press the 'Join' button (video is off by default, can switch on as per preference)
Diabetes Humour
Life with any type of diabetes is not easy. Here's a little diabetes humour to brighten up your day. Click the posts below & like, share & comment!
Looking for a partner? Marriage & Diabetes
We understand that a lot of people with diabetes face tremendous difficulties in finding the right partner and getting married. We have received a lot of requests over the years to facilitate a platform to this end. Here's our small effort in that direction. If you'd like to find a partner, or are a parent who would like to introduce their child looking to get married, please introduce yourself on our private Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India.
Blue Circle Store- Relaunched!
Check out the adorable diabetes merchandise from the Blue Circle Store and order them now!
Blogs
Read our blog here. We write about everything from recipes to people's stories, technology and everything diabetes!
Donate
India's first app, made by diabetics & for diabetics. If you have found the app helpful & would like to help, consider making a small donation of Rs 99 per month: https://www.bluecircle.foundation/donate
Download the Blue Circle Diabetes app on Android and iOS. Click here to read about the app & its features.
Thank you to our wonderful community for helping us making the app better for you! We look forward to your generosity to help us rewrite the app ground up! Use the 'New Feature Idea' button on the app to tell us what features may make the app better.
Did you know you can save tax when you donate? NGO Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation is registered under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. See our website & social media for our work & various projects in diabetes awareness and advocacy across India. Your support helps us support the diabetes community & help those who cannot help themselves.
Donate & avail tax relief as an individual or organization: https://www.bluecircle.foundation/donate
Email support@bluecircle.foundation for queries
#CommunityCares
To participate in our social media campaigns, share your photo (with some supporting text) on the topic with us. Upload through the Blue Circle Diabetes mobile app and we'll feature you!
To participate in our #CommunityCares campaign, like Shaurya who is playing the dhol, submit your photo/video through the Blue Circle Diabetes mobile app & we'll share it!
Connect with us and participate!
Join our award winning Facebook community, like and follow our page, subscribe to our YouTube channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter too! If you would like to share and contribute content upload it to the Blue Circle Diabetes app and don't forget to check out our website and Buddy Project helpline too!
SUPPORT BLUE CIRCLE DIABETES FOUNDATION
We need your help and support to continue to grow, expand and touch the lives of countless people in the diabetes community. Every little bit helps us in sustaining this endeavour. Our NGO is registered under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, India.
Click here to donate
