January Joy
Join our upcoming workshop on Type 2 Diabetes Myths (we've all heard these myths!) 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.
Order calendars and merch & support the NGO: https://www.bluecircle.foundation/store
We have 14 upcoming events in the next few weeks, join us! 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 and head to the 'Events' section on the group to RSVP for events you want to share or attend!
And a few more events too-
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 January 2023 at Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation.
We had a whopping 19 online and offline events in January 2023 - of which we had 12 physical meets in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Jodhpur, Nagpur, Delhi, Kanpur, Kolkata, Pune, Lucknow, Mumbai and Hyderabad, see the photos below!
Glimpses from our offline meets
Our coffee catch-up Jaipur was fun!
We had an enjoyable evening walk with friends in Bengaluru! The little T1 champ, Lakshika made cute cards for everyone:)
Our Pune friends clearly had a good time at the January Blue Circle Run at Pune University. Stay tuned to our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India for updates in all cities.
New to running? Read this article on running tips for new runners.
Photos from the fun brunch in Mumbai!
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!
Coffee with friends in Nagpur too!
Some fun was had in Lucknow too. Join our next chai pe charcha in Lucknow!
Good to see our Jodhpur friends having a good time!
All smiles at our Ahmedabad coffee catch-up!
Our Hyderabad community is active online and offline both! Great job guys.
#BlueCircleWorkshops (online)
Blue Circle Workshops are online weekend workshops, led by people living with various types of diabetes. By the people and for the people with diabetes! These workshops are free and open for all, even non diabetics. We started these workshops in 2020 and have conducted over 150 educational, informative & fun 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!
Diabetes Goals 2023: Workshop
Rohan, Snehal & Nupur recap the year that went by and talk about goals for 2023. Excited to hear from all of you too! #BlueCircleWorkshops are free, online workshops on diabetes by and for people living with various types of diabetes.
Click the post below to view the workshop video on Facebook (you can also view on YouTube here) -
Gestational Diabetes: Workshop
Snehal & Sanskruti, both T1s, are in conversation with Dr Rutul Gokalani Thakker, consultant diabetologist with a keen interest in gestational diabetes & obesity. #BlueCircleWorkshops are free, online workshops on diabetes by and for people living with various types of diabetes. Through Project Gaia, we aim to empower and create a space for women living with all types of diabetes.
Click the post below to view the workshop video on Facebook (you can also view on YouTube here) -
Carb counting: FB chat thread
Carbohydrates have the greatest impact on blood glucose levels and therefore it is essential to know how to count them, dose for them and how all carbs impact differently. See our Facebook chat thread.
Diabetes Stigma: Workshop
Join this interesting panel discussion on diabetes stigma, led by people living with various types of diabetes and caregivers too! #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) -
Fruits & Diabetes: Workshop
Tune into this workshop in Hindi on fruits and diabetes by Neeraj and Ayush, both living with type 1 diabetes. #BlueCircleWorkshops are free, online workshops on diabetes, by and for people living with all types of diabetes.
Click the post below to view the workshop video on Facebook (you can also view on YouTube here) -
Diabetes Tech Tutorials
Check out Nishtha's video on how to activate your Libre or Libre Pro sensors without a reader. Yes, it's really possible now!
Check out our Diabetes Tutorials, Diabetes Technology, Blue Circle Workshops, Sugar Diaries, DiaBol and Project Gaia playlists on YouTube.
On the Blue Circle Blog, read articles about Diabetes Technology, Low Carb, Human Stories, complications, exercise, management and more!
Instagram Live
Check out our Instagram Lives with Aishwarya Sakhuja here and Megha Gupta here.
In fond memory of our T1 friend
Amit Singh from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India, living with type 1 diabetes passed away due to a road accident in December 2022. We miss him & remember him from our online interactions, he was always kind and soft spoken. He is survived by his wife and one year old child. Feel free to share your memories, thoughts or photos with him & we will pass it on to his family.
In the News
Ana from Beyond Type 1 spoke with Nupur from Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation about the work done by the foundation in India for an article in Beyond Type 2 Español. Read the article here.
Read how Rohan got misdiagnosed and finally diagnosed with LADA in this article by Happiest Health.
At the Annual Business Conference for Boehringer Ingelheim, in Mumbai, Nupur was on a panel with two other fabulous patient advocates. They spoke to an audience of over 700 people about transforming lives for generations.
January also saw a packed weekend in Ahmedabad at the Swasthyacon 2023 conference on diabetes where Nupur was invited as a panelist and did a deep dive into type 1 diabetes management.
Project Isha update
Our T1 friend Tanisha has been part of Project Isha since over a year now. Indrayani who also lives with T1, has been her mentor and we support some of Tanisha's medical expenses.
Join our movement to ensure access to quality diabetes management for all! You can donate and/or volunteer.
Read more: https://www.bluecircle.foundation/projects/project-isha
Read about Tanisha: https://bit.ly/3DpqUuB
Donate: https://www.bluecircle.foundation/donate
We are 13,000 strong
We want to thank YOU for making our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India a supportive & helpful family. You have helped us keep this award-winning community clean, spam-free, kind and a safe space for people with all types of diabetes to share their experiences & questions. Big thank you to each one of you!Use the red 'Invite' button (just below our name, Diabetes Support Network India) & add people from your Facebook friend list who may benefit from a deep dive into all types of diabetes.
Runs in Mumbai
Prashant, Rakhi, Kavita and Snehal from Mumbai participated as a group in the Aamchi Mumbai run in December 2022 and the Tata Mumbai Marathon in January 2023.
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