Using the art of reverse poetry, Lurina Fourie along with fellow South Africans living with Diabetes, shares what it’s really like living with Diabetes.
South Africa (05 November 2023) – Lurina Fourie has been living with type 1 diabetes since she was 16 years old, and through her journey, she has been sharing her experience to make it easier for others.
She has come a long way since her diagnosis at age 16. Over the years, she has developed a knack for sharing and has become an ambassador for the disease.
Every year, Lurina unites her community in honour of World Diabetes Day. In 2021, she hoped to raise awareness about living with Type 1 by sharing her own personal story as well as advice on how to live a healthy, yet fulfilling life. In 2022, Lurina created a fun dictionary to help educate people on the terminology related to the disease.
This year, Lurina has explored the art of reverse poetry. She wrote a poem called “This Is Me” and together with the diabetes community, they share the poem in honour of World Diabetes Day, which takes place on the 14th of November 2023. She was inspired by a poem we shared in 2018.
“On 02 June 2018, Good Things Guy posted an article about a poem called Pretty Ugly by Abdullah Shoaib.
I have loved that poem ever since I first laid eyes on it.
With Diabetes Awareness Month on our doorstep and World Diabetes Day on 14 November, I decided to create a similar written piece (with credit to Abdullah Shoaib) and to totally “diabete-fy” it, with the hope of sending a powerful message to the global diabetes community. It is called “This Is Me”.”
Lurina also runs a support group, so if you would like to join a community, you can do so here.
Take a careful listen to the poem below. Be sure to listen until the end, when the poem takes on its double meaning
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