October Outlook
Join our #BlueCircleWorkshops led by and for people living with diabetes, Sunday, 4PM IST - free and open to all! This Sunday, join moderators Sanskruti (T1D) & Karthik (father to a T1 daughter) with panelists from different parts of the country; Rajiv (North, T1D), Senthil (South, LADA), Ravinder (West, T2D) & Atul (East, LADA) for a pan-Indian diabetes dialogue, celebrating diverse experiences across the nation. RSVP here to tune into their Facebook Live.
Apply to be an app beta tester!
We have been working behind the scenes, making a big revamp to our Blue Circle Diabetes mobile app, which is an app made ‘by’ and ‘for’ people with all types of diabetes. Come join the cool club of diverse Blue Circle Beta Testers. Read more about the Blue Circle Diabetes app:
See if you fit the eligibility criteria and apply now!
Have questions? Email: support@bluecircle.foundation
We have several upcoming events in the next few weeks, join us! Stay tuned for upcoming virtual and 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 October 2023 at Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation.
We had 20 online and offline events in October 2023 - of which we had 15 physical meets in Pune, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, London, Delhi, Nashik, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Vadodara and Nagpur - see the photos below!
Glimpses from our offline meets
Our Pune friends clearly had a good time at the Blue Circle coffee catch-up followed by a diabetes run the next morning. Stay tuned to our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India for updates in all cities.
Our Delhi friends having fun over coffee. Stay tuned for the next one!
Looks like some fun was had at our Ahmedabad coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Jaipur coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Chandigarh coffee catch-up!
Friends from our London coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Mumbai coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Kanpur chai pe charcha!
Friends from our Vadodara coffee catch-up!
School Diabetes Awareness
Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation organised a School Diabetes Awareness Programme at Delhi Public School, Gurgaon in October 2023.
Everyone, including young people deserve the right to good health. Kudos to our team for organising this!Anyone who wants to write to their school/college/office to conduct a diabetes awareness program through Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation can click this link, download the letter format on your laptop/PC, edit the letter, download as PDF and email your institution. Keep us cc'd on support@bluecircle.foundation
#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!
Patient safety & pharmacovigilance: Workshop
Join us for this deep dive into the world of medication safety, adverse effects, and the importance of monitoring in ensuring patient welfare. Watch this workshop hosted by Snehal, living with type 1 diabetes and Sharda, living with type 2 diabetes along with our guest, Nicole Pereira, Patient Safety Executive at Boehringer Ingelheim India & Dr Ved. Together, let's work towards a safer healthcare environment!
#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) -
Metabolic health & mental well-being: Workshop
Join Nupur as she engages in a conversation with American board certified internal medicine doctor & endocrinologist, Dr. Sona Abraham, who dives deep into the nexus of metabolic disease, emotional wellness, and mental health. Want to dive into older workshops? See our #BlueCircleWorkshops playlist on YouTube.
#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) -
Meethi Baatein
Dive into the 30th episode of our series, Meethi Baatein, as we spotlight and celebrate the top contributors of our vibrant Facebook community. This time, join Sumedha, mother to a child with type 1 diabetes as she chats with Dibakar, living with type 2 diabetes (in remission). Their shared experiences, insights, and stories promise to resonate with many. See the recording here.
Bolusing for protein & fat: Workshop
Join Nandita (on MDI) and Gilmerio (using an insulin pump), both living with type 1 diabetes as they discuss the nuances of efficiently dosing insulin for foods that are rich in proteins and fats, sharing their personal experiences and strategies that help them maintain balanced blood sugar levels. A must-attend session for people with any type of diabetes who use insulin!
Want to know more about low carb? Read all our low carb blogs and see our low carb playlist on YouTube. Also check out our diabetes tech playlist.
#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) -
Body shaming & diabetes: Workshop
Join us for an insightful workshop as we dive into the world of body shaming and its profound effects on individuals with all types of diabetes. Moderated by Snehal, who lives with type 1 diabetes, with experiences from Aishwarya (type 1) and Deepak (type 2). While women often bear the brunt of body shaming, it's crucial to recognize that men face these challenges too. This session is an initiative under Project Gaia, where we aim to create a safe space for women with diabetes. Together, let's confront this prevalent issue and foster a more understanding and supportive community.
#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) -
ISPAD, Rotterdam
Snehal and Rohan represented Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation at the ISPAD (International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes) conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Stay tuned for a summary of their learnings on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India
In the news
Rohan talks about diabetes management during festivals in the Diabetes Health Magazine. Read here.
Snehal, Rohan and Nupur spoke with our friends from the Udaipur Gazette. See part 1 of the video here.
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! Click the posts below to read and comment-
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.
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)
Why should you attend our meet-ups?
Fair question! Check out this post to know why-
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!
#FlipTheCalendar October 2023
Sound on and time to #FlipTheCalendar! The #BlueCircleDiabetesCalendar is a fun calendar featuring people living with all types of diabetes. Ft documentary lover and lawyer Ashlesha who lives with type 1 diabetes🥇
Order calendars & adorable diabetes merchandise:
https://www.bluecircle.foundation/store
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