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Max Wieder, a chemistry junior and president of Dawgs for Diabetes, has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for 12 years.
"[Having diabetes] It's one of those things that you have to constantly worry about or have to keep in mind. It's something you constantly manage. Whenever you do something, you have to think about how this will affect diabetes, "said Wieder.
Dawgs for Diabetes Awareness at the University of Georgia is a student-run organization that works to provide the community with information about type 1 diabetes and to help those affected by the disease.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease caused by the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells by the immune system. The pancreas then stops producing insulin, the hormone controlling the blood sugar level.
The disease can be fatal and there is currently no cure. November is Diabetes Awareness Month and the club celebrates Social Media and Percentage Night at Koa Surf Bar and Restaurant on Tuesday, November 13 and Saturday, November 17.
When they live with diabetes, individuals must learn to balance their insulin consumption with food, exercise, and other daily activities. Type 1 diabetes requires inserting insulin several times a day, either with the help of an insulin pump or by injecting, and by monitoring the level of sugar in the body. blood by pricking your finger or using a blood glucose meter.
Jay Bozza, a second-year political science student and events coordinator for the club's board of directors, has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for six years.
"The problem with type 1 is that the way you manage it is constantly changing. There is not a single specific amount of food or insulin that allows for a perfect balance, "said Bozza. "So when your environment changes from high school to college, it becomes much more difficult to put the same effort into managing it."
Wieder said Dawgs for Diabetes is both a service group and a support group. The group is organizing fundraisers for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to type 1 diabetes research, and Camp Kudzu, an organization offering camps for children with diabetes. type 1. They also have on-campus booths with information about diabetes and the club.
The group organizes monthly meetings where the upper classes can explain tips and advice to help disadvantaged classes. Wieder estimates at 40 the number of students involved in the organization.
The main event of the year, which took place on November 4th, was a campus tour where high school students with type 1 diabetes and their parents were invited to visit. UGA.
"[The students] speak to panels of parents, students and people from the Disability Resource Center. It's a good opportunity for them to put parents at ease and prepare students for college life with diabetes, "said Wieder.
Dawgs for Diabetes also organizes a group discussion for diabetic students at UGA.
"In the focus group, many people ask for advice, supplies or things like that. It's a very good network for everyone, "said Wieder.
Bozza discovered the club through a friend who had just completed his last year of high school and said that it had been a great help for the transition to the university.
"Dawgs for Diabetes offers excellent advice and support meetings with older UGA type 1 students, who can help first-year students tremendously with strategies and general advice," Bozza said.
Reed Stewart, a co-op student in social work, said having the Dawgs for Diabetes club was one of the best things at UGA.
"It 's so refreshing to be able to meet people who are living the same way as you and who have the opportunity to express themselves or to talk about a problem you are having or even just having a problem. to borrow insulin if insurance is painful, "Stewart told me.
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