T1DE

T1DE is a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization whose mission is to empower individuals and families living with type one diabetes to prevent, delay, and possibly reverse the insidious physical and emotional complications of this progressive disease by providing and facilitating diabetes awareness, education, networking, support group and other programs to the greater Lynchburg area.

In the last five years, T1DE has provided the following support to local families living with Type One Diabetes (T1D):

Monthly support group meetings with youth activities
Family/Networking events
Educational events including local and regional speakers on research, diabetes complications, school issues, integrative and progressive management, mental health and much more
Website and social media presence to facilitate communication and provide the latest diabetes news and information
Retreats for care givers
Organization of walk teams supporting T1D research
The monies raised in 2015 will help enhance our existing programs:

Reach more families and individuals in our local community through public relations
Formalize our educational programs that may be accessed online
Subsidize networking events for families
Provide light food fare at our group meetings to encourage participation
Organize an educational symposium that also engages our local medical community
Facilitate workshops addressing the effects of diabetes on family relationships
Participate in diabetes awareness events
Additional Information on T1DE:

T1DE (a.k.a “Tide”) started as a small band of families meeting once a month to discuss raising children with type one diabetes (T1D). We began to formalize our meetings by integrating education and youth activities. Within a few years the group had grown to over 60 families in the Lynchburg area. The rate of autoimmune diabetes that affects young children and adults continues to increase which emphasizes the importance of diabetes support for our local community.

Type One Diabetes is a serious chronic illness that can be very difficult to control properly. Type one diabetics must take insulin to live and must manage the disease by taking blood glucose measurements and insulin shot many times a day. The disease is relentless – 24 hours a day for the rest of their lives. Currently there is no cure for Type One Diabetes and to avoid the devastating complications of diabetes, tight control of blood sugars is required. We want diabetics to have all of the possible support they need to be successful living with diabetes.

T1DE facilitates monthly support group meetings that have a mix of traditional support group including networking and educational elements. Each month we have professional local and regional speakers discussing topics including research and technology, integrative and progressive management, nutrition, mental health and we are continually adding to an evolving library of presentations.

We also have families and individuals that share their own diabetes experience that is invaluable due to the shared and intimate knowledge that only T1D families and individuals understand. At T1DE, we believe that by sharing our successes and challenges we learn from each other thereby strengthening our T1D community.

T1DE also facilitates family events so that families and their children may form peer and mentoring relationships that are not only important to parents but especially important to children so that they know they are not alone and that there are others that have to deal with this disease every day just like they do.

For more information: info@t1de.org