Mercurial May
Join our #BlueCircleWorkshops led by and for people living with diabetes, every Sunday, 5PM IST - free and open to all! This time on a Monday, we will be in conversation with a preventive foot care expert and podiatrist to find out how people living with diabetes should take care of their feet. RSVP here to tune into the Facebook Live.
We have several 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!
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, Facebook and LinkedIn. Here's a quick low down on all that happened in May 2023 at Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation.
We had 16 online and offline events in May 2023 - of which we had 12 physical meets in Pune, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur, Bengaluru - see the photos below!
Glimpses from our offline meets
Our coffee catch-up Jaipur was definitely fun!
We had an enjoyable coffee catch-up with friends in Bengaluru!
Our Pune friends clearly had a good time over tea and coffee with friends! Stay tuned to our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India for updates in all cities.
Photos from the coffee catch-up in Ahmedabad!
Our Delhi friends having fun at the coffee catch-up. Stay tuned for the next one!
All smiles at our Chennai #coffee catch-up!
Photos from the Kanpur chai pe charcha!
Photos from the coffee catch-up in Jalandhar!
All smiles at our Mumbai coffee catch up!
#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 200 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 and LinkedIn to know of upcoming workshops. Be a part of our awesome Facebook community too!
AMA + Virtual Coffee Workshop
Blue Circle community leaders & T1s Rohan & Snehal did an introduction to Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation and Ask Me Anything (AMA) for all our new members. Join their Facebook Live recording on Diabetes Support Network India with a cuppa! Click here to view the recording.
#BlueCircleWorkshops are free, online workshops on diabetes by and for people living with various types of diabetes.
Meethi Baatein
25th Facebook Live of our series called Meethi Baatein to celebrate top contributors of our community on Facebook. Ayush, living with type 1 diabetes, was in conversation with Ajay, who lives with type 2 diabetes, see the video here.
Carb Counting Chat Thread
Let's talk carb counting - do you know what it is, how to do it, what challenges do you face, any tips you'd like to share? Tell us on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India. This was a Facebook group chat thread that you can read through here.
#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!
Summer & Diabetes Workshop
Join this workshop where Neeraj & Ketki, both T1s, discuss summer and its impact on diabetes management. #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) -
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Hear Nupur Lalvani represent the voices of civil society and communities at the multi-stakeholder hearings on health 8 - 9 May at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA. Nupur was among representatives of the Member States, observers of the General Assembly, parliamentarians, representative of local government, relevant UN entities, academics and private sector. She was the only Indian panelist and she spoke about practical ways to ensure social participation in health.
What comes out of this? The President of the United Nations General Assembly convened this multi-stakeholder hearings in preparation of the High-Level Meetings on Universal Health Coverage, the fight against Tuberculosis and Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response later this year in September.
Global Patient Partnership Summit, Singapore
Nupur Lalvani was invited to the Global Patient Partnership Summit 2023 hosted by Boehringer Ingelheim in Singapore and represented our patient led organisation Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation.
The summit addressed a very important point - how can we ensure that patients are truly empowered decision makers in their own care & ran across three locations, Singapore, Vienna and Miami simultaneously.
The lived experience lens is really important to understand how people experience and navigate their health conditions. A patient representative steering committee co-created an agenda for the Summit that broadly included four challenges - Empowering patients, Integrated Care, People with Multiple Chronic Conditions and Patient Experience Data
World Congress of Diabetes Technology, Delhi
Rohan Arora was invited as a speaker at the World Congress of Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics 2023, DTechCon - in Delhi where he spoke about DIY Looping & represented the voices of people living with various types of diabetes.
Want to know more about DIY Looping? See this recorded workshop. Want to know more about commercial closed loop pumps (the Medtronic 780G) from actual users? See this recorded workshop. Want to start from the basics and see what an insulin pump looks like and how to apply a patch? See this video.
Want a proper deep dive into all diabetes tech available in India? Check out this YouTube playlist that has helpful videos and also these blogs on the Blue Circle Blog. Have questions? Ask away on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India.
Diabetes Awareness at a low income settlement
Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation conducted a diabetes awareness program for women at a basti (low income settlement) in the Peth area in Pune, India through our Project Gaia initiative where we aim to create a safe space for women with diabetes. Everyone has the right to health ✊
Our interactive session with the ladies was only slightly interrupted by a drunken man who briefly attended and left soon. One of the things we encouraged the women to do is start an exercise regime. While we did that, we were also cognizant of the fact that women who live in marginalised communities might sometimes have to make a choice between their safety and security and health/exercise.
There are many barriers to good health and they are more pronounced for some sections of society. We were glad to have this opportunity to share some practical tips.
Success Stories
Found the community helpful, have a success story to share? E-mail us on support@bluecircle.foundation and we'll be happy to feature you!
Read Shauryavardhan's success story by clicking the post below-
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.
See the post below for an important announcement regarding schools and universities. Click the post below, go to the comments section to read or download each circular issued by the NCPCR - National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
Happy 3rd Birthday, Buddy Project Helpline
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)
#BlueCircleCamp memories
Click the video below to see memories from the #BlueCircleCamp Delhi last year. See the full photo album here.
Lovely and fun memories, right from the kids dancing to the adults making a dancing train, meeting old and new friends and some veterans!
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!
Blue Circle 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.
#SugarDetective
Be a #SugarDetective!
Come be part of our new campaign! Help spread awareness by sharing hidden sugars in packaged foods. Like Sherlock Holmes said, "you see, but you do not observe". Let's observe what's in our food and share!
Put up posts on your social media platforms and use the hashtag #SugarDetective & #BlueCircleDiabetesFoundation (also tag us!) You can also share the post on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India. Once a week, we'll feature a randomly selected Sugar Detective across our platforms. Hurry!
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, Twitter and LinkedIn too! Use the Blue Circle Diabetes app to track your vitals 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