Register by May 4 at Noon for the 2017 Students with Diabetes Conference
By Ava Runge
Last chance to register for the amazing Student with Diabetes 2017 conference!
A year ago, I attended the annual Students with Diabetes (SWD) meeting, an empowering and fun-filled gathering of inspirational young people with diabetes. SWD is led by prominent public health leader Dr. Nicole Johnson, who has had an amazing career since she leapt onto the public stage as Miss America 1999, the first pageant winner with a chronic disease, much less diabetes! At last year’s meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting dozens of students with diabetes from across the country to learn together and share our experiences with diabetes. I also had the opportunity to speak at a breakout group alongside MySugr’s Scott Johnson on the latest developments in diabetes technology, including the various types of closed loop systems on the horizon. JDRF’s Dr. Aaron Kowalski also provided a fascinating research update at the meeting, Diabetes Hands Foundation's Mike Lawson gave an uplifting presentation on humor and diabetes, and three hilarious and inspirational actors with diabetes — Jim Turner, Beau Bonness, and Austin Basis — shared their experiences living and working with diabetes.
I am so grateful to and in awe of Dr. Johnson for pulling together a resource like this for students with diabetes - it is truly an amazing experience to be surrounded by so many young people who understand your day-to-day experience in such a profound way.
At diaTribe, we are particularly excited about SWD 2017, which will take place May 26-28 in Orlando, FL. Our own incredible advisor, Lorraine Stiehl, will be speaking at this year’s meeting, as well as HCM’s Jenny McCue, JDRF’s Dr. Aaron Kowalski, musician Adam Lasher, and many others. But of course the BEST reason to go, along with the learning from these incredible leaders, is how much fun it is to be able to meet others with diabetes between the ages of 18 and 30!
SWD 2017 tickets are limited, so make sure to register now at this link! Additional conference details are on the Eventbrite page, and the schedule is on the SWD website here.
