Yellow Smiley Dude.

Back at the end of April, Circle D celebrated its' 5th birthday, but because I was abroad, I wasn't able to make it. Yesterday I met up with Shelley to celebrate her diabetes anniversary (10 years living with diabetes) and she gave me a little card from the Circle D Birthday celebration. It put the biggest smile on my face. You can't see the writing in the picture, so here's what it says:

"Thank you so much for being part of Circle D. Thank you for all your support whether you are a newbie or whether you have been with us for the whole 5 years or somewhere in between, it really does mean a lot :)

The yellow smiley dude is to make you smile when the D gets you down. When you feel the D rage you can stretch out his arms and lets to release your stress and he will keep on smiling - bless him!!!

If you live with/are related to/are friends with a D this is a thank you for putting up with us! :)

You may name your smiley but is must start with a D hahaha :0) carry him/her everywhere as you never know when you may need to rant!

And finally thank you for helping me prove that we really are not alone! Nearly 10 years ago on my diagnosis day a nurse told me I was the only one! :0(

Here's to the next 5 years and beyond!

Big love - Shelley xxx"

It just sums it all up for me: diabetes sucks, big time, but everything that comes along with it kind of makes up for the crapiness (making up words now!) of it all. So, I say again, whatever crappy condition you're living with (if any, of course), go find others in the same boat as you. Doing exactly that is the best thing I've ever done.

To find out more about Circle D please visit www.circledrocks.co.uk

Happy 5th Birthday, Circle D!

www.circledrocks.co.uk

Today marks Circle D's 5th birthday! (Yay for Circle D!) So today's post is honour of my friend Shelley, co-founder of Circle D, and all the work she does to keep thr group running.

Circle D is a group for diabetics and their motto is simple: you are not alone. Since the group started on April 30th, 2008, other Circle D groups have been popping up all over the country, and their Facebook page is constantly getting more and more "likes"! The group tends to meet monthly alternating between a "Rant Room" session, where we sit round and moan/chat/celebrate whatever we want and then a social which, over the last five years, has ranged from bowling to dinners to pub nights to picnics!

I've been part of Circle D more or less since diagnosis, and I don't know where I would be without it. It means a great deal to me, as I'm sure it does to many others. Along with the Diabetes Support Forum, it was my first source of support. I knew no one with type one when I was diagnosed, so hearing about Circle D and finding out that it was a whole group of other diabetics who knew what I was going through...that was pretty great! And it was based in my hometown (Kent, as I was living with Mum and Dad at the time), which was just a bonus as it actually meant that I could go and talk to people face-to-face, not just online. It's safe to say it's a pretty huge part of the diabetic-side of my life!

So, happy 5th birthday, Circle D! Here's to another five years of support! Thanks for everything! And thanks to Shelley, for reading my timid first post on the forum and then telling me about this group of hers! I can't imagine not being part of such a lovely community. I look forward to seeing you at whatever event takes place when I'm back in the UK!