November is always one of our busiest month of the year and each year our media coverage gets even bigger. National Diabetes Month 2023 was…
Sweet Life Posts
“Nobody asks for this. Nobody wants this for their little one. The biggest hurt and shock of my life was when my little girl fell ill and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes,” said Nova’s mom. She explains the struggle of caring for a child with Type 1 diabetes.
What a year it’s been for Sweet Life! Here are a few of our Sweet Life 2023 highlights.
The festive season is upon us! And it can be tricky to navigate with diabetes… Bridget McNulty shares her top tips for festive wellness with diabetes.
To celebrate National Diabetes Month, we asked our Facebook community to share a special School Challenge… and the response was amazing. Take a look at these fantastic #WearBlueforDiabetes 5 Symptoms Challenge entries!
This November, we’re calling on all South Africans to #WearBlueforDiabetes & Know the 5! But what if you want to go beyond the 5 symptoms of diabetes, and understand your condition more? We’ve partnered with Sanofi to bring you all you need to know.
November is National Diabetes Month, and the 14th November is World Diabetes Day. We’re delighted to share the many events on offer for people living with diabetes this month.
Please join in at any or all of the below!
Having successfully completed the Cape Town Marathon and Magoebaskloof Ultra, Type 1 Robert Barnsley is unstoppable. His next challenge is the Giants Cup Uncut 62km in April 2024 which is part of the Drakensburg Ultra. Here’s his best advice for ultra trail running with diabetes.
Pamela Durant is the mother of a child with Type 1 diabetes. The diagnosis led her to start a diabetes caretaker community – Diapoint. We ask Pamela about her journey.
We’ve been thinking about diabetes education a lot lately – specifically because we’re now in the Top 3 of the DCB Digital Diabetes Innovation Challenge, with our education solution! (We are so excited.) Bridget McNulty explains…
When it comes to discussions about diabetes, lived experience is essential. Bridget McNulty unpacks why, and how to make it more of a priority in South Africa.
We’re so excited to announce that an updated version of the award-winning Low Carb Solution for Diabetes has just been published! The Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Handbook.
We love sharing our community’s stories of life with diabetes. Here’s Holly’s story of life with diabetes and a disability – how she was born with Cerebral Palsy and later diagnosed with diabetes.
If you’re trying to change your diet and reduce carbs, it can be tempting to immediately switch out the foods you love for sugar-free/diabetes- friendly…
One of our community members, Armand Greyling, wrote to us to explain how to get an insulin pump covered by medical aid. He shared this step-by-step guide.
Diabetes stigma and discrimination refers to the negative social judgments, stereotypes, and prejudices that unfairly affect people with diabetes all over the world. Around 4 in 5 people with diabetes have experienced diabetes stigma. Up to 1 in 3 people with diabetes have been discriminated against due to their diabetes.
Is there any question that irritates a person with diabetes more than, “can you eat that?” Bridget McNulty unpacks it in this month’s column.
The University of Pretoria Diabetes Research Centre, in collaboration with the Department of Psychology and SA Diabetes Advocacy, is pleased to invite you to a…
There are three things that Sweet Life is fundraising for: TEEL, TIME and the Healthy Food Guide. Here’s what they are – and why they matter.
Managing diabetes means managing the health of the whole body. This is why, in an ideal world, your diabetes team will include specialists from different fields.
Meet Dirk Visser, living with Type 1 and running for better health. Dirk shares some of the highs and lows, and how running impacts his diabetes on YouTube as The Running Diabetic.
Diabetic pets have special needs, but can live long and healthy lives with the proper diagnosis, treatment and care. We had a chat with Dr Jono,…
Craving junk food can be a big hurdle when trying to eat healthy. While it may be hard, we’ve got 8 tips to help you stop craving junk food, so that you can develop healthier eating habits.
What are diabetes-friendly meals at South African restaurants? That was the question one of our community members asked. When we asked South Africans with Diabetes where they eat out, the answers were clear: Spur, Kauai, Ocean Basket and Nando’s. Bridget McNulty tested them all out for her column this month.
Our community asked us the other day: Can people with diabetes donate blood? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is below.
If there’s one question we get over and over on South Africans with Diabetes it’s this: What should people with diabetes eat? Here’s a simple answer.
Each month, Sweet Life co-founder Bridget McNulty talks about something personal when it comes to diabetes… This month she tackles diabetes and food.
There are so many different types of insulin, and it can be hard to understand what the difference is. Luckily, Dr Michelle Carrihill from the Red Cross Children’s Hospital Diabetes Clinic has a simple way of explaining them. Read on to find out more…
Benoni Lakes Lions Club in association with Ebotse Golf and Country estate in Benoni, Gauteng are holding a fun diabetes awareness walk on Sunday 4th June 2023. The fun walk is intended to raise diabetes awareness as there will be diabetes screening and wellness exhibits on the day. We chatted to Diane Townsend, the organiser of the event.
If there’s one question we get asked on South Africans with Diabetes often, it’s: Does insulin make you fat? Here, we give you the straight answer.
Megan Soanes, a board member of Diabetes SA Port Elizabeth, was no stranger to diabetes when her son was diagnosed. Her husband, Scott, has been living with it for 37 years. But when her son Gabriel was diagnosed, it led her to play a more active diabetes advocacy role.
Jethro Morrison has a very unusual life with diabetes. Both he and his son are living with Type 1, and he’s a purple belt kickboxer. We asked him for a few details about kickboxing with diabetes – and their double diagnosis…
Being a supportive caregiver, family member or friend to a person with diabetes can be both a gratifying and a challenging role. Diabetes affects the whole family, not just the one taking medicine. Here is Tani’s story: a supportive mother of a Type 1 child.
Every month, Sweet Life co-founder Bridget McNulty talks about something personal to do with diabetes. This month, it’s all about diabetes exhaustion…
Retinopathy is one of the most common diabetes complications, but do you know the facts? Here’s what retinopathy is and how to spot the first symptoms.
We all know we should be testing our blood sugar regularly, but we don’t always know exactly how to do it… Let’s take a look at some of the questions we get from our South Africans with Diabetes community, and answer them.
Once a month, Sweet Life co-founder Bridget McNulty unpacks something personal about life with diabetes. This month, she opens up about diabetes advocacy…
I know I should be clever about this and wait till we’ve uploaded all the images – but I’m too excited not to share! Check out just a few of the 295 images from SA’s first diabetes stock photo shoot.
Siyabonga Kwanele Zuma is a writer, creator of the Living With Diabetes series on YouTube and diabetes advocate. He shares his story of life with Type 1 diabetes with us today.
As National Kidney Month comes to a close, let’s take a look at diabetes and kidney disease. Kidney disease is a common long-term complication of uncontrolled diabetes, so knowing how to keep your kidneys healthy is important.
Jehaan was diagnosed 22 years ago with Type 1 diabetes. She shares her story, struggles and best advice with us.
Panorama launches The T1D Community Fund, and announces first cohort of global grantees – Sweet Life Diabetes Community is one of them! Find out more about the work we’re going to do here.
We were so inspired to hear about teenager Neve Quail, champion archer and living with Type 1 diabetes. We asked her to share her story here…
We all know how hard it is to lose weight… And how hard it is to get motivated to lose weight! Here are some ideas from our community – and some fun rewards to help you.
Anyone who meets Salih Hendricks loves him. It’s impossible not to – he’s a kind and generous soul, quick to smile and share his wisdom. He’s also a diabetic amputee, and has been sharing his journey and challenges for the past few years.. We asked Salih to tell his story, here.
It has taken over a year, but the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) has finally responded to our appeal to make sensor technology a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) for Type 1s in South Africa.
Every month, Sweet Life co-founder Bridget McNulty discusses something personal about life with diabetes. This month, she unpacks donating insulin…
You might have heard that eating low GI food is a good idea. But what foods are actually low GI and what does it mean when food has a low GI?
The theme for this year’s World Obesity Day is ‘Changing Perspectives: Let’s Talk About Obesity‘. Obesity in South Africa is a big issue, and one we should all be discussing more.
We know that getting the right diabetes care in South Africa isn’t always easy. So we asked our community of South Africans with Diabetes to share with us: What barriers do you face in getting the right diabetes care?
Here’s what they said: