World Diabetes Day – Awareness

Last year I created a video to show the students in Colin’s, Caleb’s and Lila’s schools in an effort to spread awareness and increase understanding of type 1 diabetes. We showed it during lunch, it looped over and over, and staff walked around and asked the children questions about what they saw to reinforce the key points.

Did all 800 plus kids walk away knowing everything there is to know about diabetes? No. But it was an easy, fun and non-instrusive way to get the word out and I believe more than several walked away with a better understanding. At a very minimum they learned that there were three students on their campus living with diabetes and doing everything all the other kids do. Selfishly, that’s my primary goal: to have others see Caleb as Caleb first and not as the kid who has this mysterious disease.

There was an unexpected benefit. I now have a video that can be used by anyone who wants to do the same thing. Several people have contacted me asking if they can use it in their own advocacy efforts. If you have the opportunity to increase awareness but aren’t sure what to do, check out the video and see if you can incorporate it into your plans.

Credit for use of video or image given to This is Caleb... is appreciated.