Beta Cell Foundation Better Together Webinar Series: T1D Improv

“Yes, and…”

When my friend Craig approached me about being a part of his Beta Cell Foundation Better Together webinar series, I wasn’t sure what topic to focus on for the presentation. After landing on the concept of T1D improv (straight out of chapter 14 of Type 1 Diabetes Caregiver Confidence: A Guide for Caregivers of Children Living with T1D), I got more excited as I worked on it.

Talking about creative problem solving and resilience for people with T1D and the people who care about them should never go out of style and I’m out here doing my best to keep that conversation alive.

As a type A personality and someone who spent a good chunk of the first year post-diagnosis trying to find the trick to perfection in managing T1D (spoiler alert: does not exist), I needed this concept so badly and yet would not have been able to truly receive it at that point.

We have to be able to accept a situation (yes) and quickly pivot to our next step (and…). Later, we might reflect on our learnings, make changes for the future, or even give ourselves a little pat on the back for getting through the immediate issue in that moment. I talked about this and SO much more in the presentation. We had great audience participation and Craig asked some insightful post-presentation questions that kept the conversation going, giving everyone something to think on later.