Learn about what really matters to people living with diabetes around the world.
Insights, Stories & Perspectives
The #dedoc° blog features articles and opinion pieces written by our international network of diabetes advocates: the #dedoc° voices. From scientific conferences to the latest diabetes research and technology, from challenges faced by those living with diabetes to global disparities in healthcare, our #dedoc° voices cover it all.
Diabetes advocates wishing to contribute to the #dedoc° blog are welcome to submit a guest post using the link below.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch — we love to hear from you, and so do thousands of others!
All opinions are those of the authors.
Contact: blog@dedoc.org
From Lebanon to Montreal: My Lived-Experience Journey at ISPAD 2025
From Lebanon to Montreal, Pedro Al Derjani’s journey to ISPAD 2025 is about much more than attending a conference. In this personal reflection, Pedro shares how living with type 1 diabetes, his growing role as an advocate and a memorable conversation with #dedoc° founder Bastian Hauck helped him see the connections between lived experience, policy and change. As a #dedoc° Voice at ISPAD, he discovered the power of community, international collaboration and having people with diabetes meaningfully involved in the conversations that shape their lives. He returned home with new connections, new perspectives and an even stronger commitment to Nothing About Us Without Us.
Towards Better: Reflections from an International Diabetes Conference
Reflecting on ISPAD’s 51st Annual Meeting through the lens of lived experience, this piece explores the growing role of advocacy, collaboration, and technology in shaping the future of diabetes care. Writing from Aotearoa, New Zealand, Sandra Braithwaite shares her journey from parent to advocate following her son’s type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and reflects on the importance of building bridges between communities, clinicians, researchers, and people living with diabetes. Through themes of connection, AI, and collective responsibility, the article is a thoughtful reminder that meaningful progress happens when lived experience is not added later, but included from the very beginning.