Disclaimer: Diabetes Hands Foundation provided me with a scholarship to MasterLab 2016 which included transportation, lodging, and conference admission. However all opinions posted about the event are my own. Thank you!
MasterLab 2016 was such a wonderful experience! It was run a little different this year, but overall I was happy with the event. I would have enjoyed more time collaborating and getting to know the other advocates (especially the Latino group, full of energy!) Several people have written about their experiences. You can read about them here. I'm going to write more about what I learned about myself and advocacy.
During MasterLab 2016, we were given a workbook and asked to fill it out during and at the end of each session. The idea was that the workbook would guide us in creating our own advocacy plan.
During MasterLab 2016, we were given a workbook and asked to fill it out during and at the end of each session. The idea was that the workbook would guide us in creating our own advocacy plan.
Confession time: I guess sometimes teachers make the worst students. I didn't fill mine out during the conference. I made notes on a couple pages, but I really didn't grasp how useful of a tool this was until I hear others reading the "Diabetes Advocates Mad-Libs" at the end of the book. The last page took key points from each of the previous pages and combined them all into a nicely written advocacy plan. Well, I finally filled mine out - tonight. Yes, 22 days later. I wish I would have done this three weeks ago! (Forgive me, Mike!)
Below you will find my advocacy plan using the template and prompts from the MasterLab "Personal Advocacy Plan" workbook. (Click on the link to get your own workbook!)
I believe that...
People with Type 2 diabetes need access
to the tools they need to manage their disease without stigma and a
one size fits all approach.
But it doesn't have to be that way. I
want to live in a world where...
The patient and the medical team both
have access to factual information and the resources needed.
If more people understood...
Type 2 diabetes does not need the
stigma of blame, rather care and understanding with the tools and
resources individualized to help each person live a healthy life.
Then we would eliminate...
People with Type 2 living with stigma
and blame every day, making it a struggle to reach out for the
resources and tools they need.
The next thing I will do to combat this
problem is...
I plan to start with my own doctor,
educating him in a non-confrontational way during my own appointments
to help him understand diabetes in a person, not a textbook.
I recognize that I'm not the only one
doing this work. When possible, I will try to partner with...
Those that are also working to make a
difference, like the diabetes online community (DOC), to help guide
me toward reliable and valid resources to share.
And I understand that I can make a
greater impact if I am healthy. Therefore I plan on...
Doing the things that make me happy and
rejuvenate me without guilt.