Lurina Fourie has been sharing her journey of living with type 1 diabetes in the hopes of helping others cope when they are diagnosed.
South Africa (09 November 2021) – 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.
As World Diabetes Day is just around the corner, Lurina wanted to share her story so that newly diagnosed people won’t feel alone. She shared her struggles with us and encourages others to push through as it does get better.
“I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) at the age of 16 years, in the year 2000. There was no family history of T1D and we had no knowledge about it, so we couldn’t identify the disease and it came as quite a shock. I don’t think there is ever a “good age” to be diagnosed with T1D, but being a teenage girl at the time of my diagnosis, was not a great time in my life.”
“I felt branded it I didn’t want to leave the house, going to the mall was a big no-no, it felt as if everyone would be able to see that I had diabetes, as if the word DIABETIC was carved into my forehead. I am not sure why I felt so ashamed of it, because I didn’t do it to myself and there was not way to prevent it, but somehow it knocked my self-esteem right out the window. I thought “How will I ever get a boyfriend… I’m such a burden… Who would want to marry me…” etc etc
Time is a healer and as I started going back to school (after being hospitalized and absent for 2 weeks during my diagnosis etc) and as my life started gaining momentum again, I started to see that life can actually go on and that the broken way in which I saw myself, was not how other people saw me, in fact they saw me in the exact opposite light and they looked at me with admiration.”
Lurina has been living with T1D for 21 years. 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.
We spoke to Lurina to find out what advice she has for people newly diagnosed with T1D.
“Handle your T1D with caution. Learn the facts and before you know it, you’ll see that another day, another week, another month or another year has passed and you are still here: growing, excelling, thriving and getting stronger with every step you take.
Be sure to try and take control over the physical needs of T1D:
- Eat healthy foods
- Take your insulin
- Check your blood sugar
- Drink enough water
- Get enough sleep
- Exercise
Do not neglect the emotional side of your T1D, because people living with T1D are 2 to 3 times more likely to suffer from depression than people not living with T1D. You are not alone and by reaching out to other people also living with T1D, you are building the diabetes community and creating awareness about life with T1D and #togetherwearestronger”
Lurina runs a support group, so if you would like to join, you can do so here.