We have moved! Introducing Thriveabetes.ie

After the Thriveabetes Conference in Maynooth, we realised very quickly that our blog format wasn't going to work very well for Thriveabetes going forward, especially if it's to become an annual event.

So here is our blogs new home; www.thriveabetes.ie

Our hope is that from Thriveabetes 2015, we will build on the amazing energy this conference tapped into by running another conference and by working to help connect and invigorate the type 1 community.

Thriveabetes is more than just a conference.  We want to help connect people to the type 1 diabetes community, building a safe and supportive place to gain strength from something that otherwise makes us feel weak.

Our website is a work in progress and will expand over time. We will be adding a Resources page where people will be able to find peer to peer support a little closer to home and lots more.

We hope that you will continue to take this journey with us.

Gráinne.

It's here!

Thrive-abetes Tickets

Unfortunately, online ticket sales have ended.

If you didn't get your ticket online there are a very, very, very limited number of tickets still available and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

To avail of this, please present yourself at the Thrive-abetes Registration desk in The Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth by no later than 10am Saturday October 3rd.

All remaining tickets will be priced at €35. Unfortunately, we will only be able to accommodate cash or cheques.

1 Day Away - Thrive-abetes

2 Days to go!!!!

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate people who want to purchase tickets on the day of the event. Tickets will remain on sale until 6pm, Thursday October 1st.

Register here.

3 Days to Thrive-abetes

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate people who want to purchase tickets on the day of the event. Tickets will remain on sale until 6pm, Thursday October 1st.

Register here.

4 Days til Thrive-abetes

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate people who want to purchase tickets on the day of the event. Tickets will remain on sale until 6pm, Thursday October 1st.

Register here.

5 Days to Thrive-abetes

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate people who want to purchase tickets on the day of the event. Tickets will remain on sale until 6pm, Thursday October 1st.

Register here.

6 days to go!!!

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate people who want to purchase tickets on the day of the event. Tickets will remain on sale until 6pm, Thursday October 1st.

Register here.

To Parents Thinking About Attending Thrive-abetes…..

When Rebecca Flanagan heard me talk about this mad idea that took shape as Thrive-abetes, she did not hesitate to say "I'm going to help you do this". You might be thinking that this is a common reaction but it isn't. The truth is that after you have taken care of your child with type 1 diabetes you don't have very much left inside of you, to take on anything else. But a few do find that strength from somewhere. I still don't know where they find it but I'm thankful that they do.

Here's what Rebecca sent to me in response to why this conference is for parents of children with type 1 diabetes.

BUT don't pay any heed to her reference to my "vision", I just wanted to get a very large group of people with type 1 diabetes in the one place to hear some bloody great speakers and have a bit of fun! (What is she like?)

"To the parents still ‘on the fence’ about attending Thrive-abetes…..

I am one of the volunteers helping with this conference and I can see Grainne’s amazing vision for what will be achieved, but I am also a parent of a child with Type 1 diabetes. I will also be a delegate at the conference. And I need this conference. My daughter was diagnosed just before her 8th birthday and is now 15. You hear about how hard the teenage years can be, but when you throw in diabetes it is a whole other ball game.

I will admit it: I am struggling. I know that as a parent it is something we don’t want to admit to – never show signs of weakness! Easier said than done, of course, and when diabetes is thrown in, at whatever age your child is, there can be many stages of struggle, weakness and burnout - for the parent and the child.

Clinic visits can be so… clinical. I rarely have been asked, ‘How are YOU doing?’ Whilst the visits are ultimately for the betterment of the child, this can hardly be achieved without the parents being 100% comfortable and made to feel ABLE to take on this disease for their child.

Empowered is a good word. As parents we should feel empowered for our children so that we, in turn, can bestow this on to them when the time comes. I don’t think we will ever get enough of this from clinic visits. It ultimately is not really their job, but where else do we go?

I’ve found where, and am so delighted to be a part of it: Thrive-abetes, Thrive with Type 1 Diabetes Conference. In my time helping my daughter with diabetes, I’ve found that there has been no better encouragement then speaking to other parents. It can be hard to say ‘I’m struggling’ but with parents like us we all GET it! And when it’s spoken about you don’t feel alone.
The conference is an opportunity to connect with other parents just like you. You might be able to help someone who has yet to reach the stage your child has already conquered, or you might find help from someone who has already been there with their child. And the speakers will be the icing on the cake. The presentations on the day will help strengthen our efforts on guiding our children with how to cope with diabetes, not just medically, but emotionally, psychologically and on a developmental level.

With all of this on offer, I’d hope that when asked, ‘How are YOU?’ we can all, after Thrive-abetes, say EMPOWERED!!"

Come Join Us! Register here for Thrive-abetes.

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate people who want to purchase tickets on the day of the event. Tickets will remain on sale until 6pm, Thursday October 1st.

Sponsor Spotlight Series: Ailbhe's Pump Pouches

This is the second instalment of our "Sponsor Spotlight" series, which I hope to continue over the next 3 weeks.

Sponsor Spotlight: Ailbhe's Pump Pouches

Ailbhe's Pump Pouches is run by Mairead Doyle, whose daughter Ailbhe was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Mairead also has a full time job as a nurse.

The range of Insulin Pump Pouches by Ailbhes Pump Pouches are Irish made, high quality, soft fabric pouches designed for children and adults with Type 1 Diabetes on Insulin Pump Therapy.

They come in a variety of soft colourful fabrics which are bright and fun. The pouches feature top acrylic zip closure to ensure the pump is kept securely inside. There are slit openings on either side to feed the insulin tubing through for convenience.

The belt is in matching soft fabric which makes it comfortable to wear both day and night. It is fully adjustable with Velcro closure and is available in a range of sizes.

Wider soft fabric covered elasticated belts are available as thigh belts or as upper arm belts.

1 Euro from every pouch sold on our website goes to the Diabetes Unit of Our Lady's Hospital Crumlin, where Ailbhe is a patient.

Buying an Insulin Pump Pouch from Ailbhe's Pump Pouches is a great way to get a top quality Irish made product, thereby supporting Irish jobs and enterprise, and also to support Diabetes services for our children

You can order Ailbhe's Pump Pouches direct from their website and prices range from €14-€16 plus postage and packaging.

Don't forget to Register here for Thrive-abetes.

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate people who want to purchase tickets on the day of the event. Tickets will remain on sale until 6pm, Thursday October 1st.

The Power a Diabetes Conference

Last week, I had the HUGE privileged to attend an amazing conference in Orlando Florida. It came about because of a scholarship award from the Diabetes Hands Foundation, through the Diabetes Advocates program. They covered the costs of my travel, registration and lodging while at #MasterLab, which was a fantastic mini-conference before the main event, ChildrenwithDiabetes/FriendsforLife 2015 (cwdffl15)

I covered my own expenses for the Friends for Life (FFL) conference, as I was already there.

I was waiting outside the exhibit hall on the first night of the #cwdffl15 conference. As we waited in.... em, mass (there were way to many people to call it a line) for the official opening of the exhibit hall, my new friend from, MasterLab & FFL, Kim, asked me if I had ever been surrounded by this many people with diabetes?

My new friends for life,
Kim and Mona.

There were 2,000 families at FFL. Most of them were standing in the foyer waiting with us. My answer was no!

While it's not possible to have those numbers at Thrive-abetes, I think that having 200 people with type 1 diabetes in one location will be impressive and so powerful.

Come join us!

Register here for Thrive-abetes.

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Introduction our Sponsor Spotlight Series: Insulcheck

Thrive-abetes is proud to announce that we have 13 companies exhibiting at our event. We will publish the full list of our exhibitors and sponsors over the summer.

We also have some companies who who donated to Thrive-abetes and will have coupons for products included in our Delegate Welcome Packs.

This is the first installment of our "Sponsor Spotlight" series, which will continue over the summer.

Sponsor Spotlight: Insulcheck

The people responsible for Insulcheck are an Irish company based in NovaUCD , Belfield Innovation Park, Belfield , Dublin.

Insulcheck is a gadget that clips on to your insulin pen and records the time that you last took your insulin injection.

Thrive-abetes is very proud to have William, John and the team at Insulcheck as a supporter!

From Insulcheck's website:

"Like many genuine innovations, InsulCheck was born from personal experience. It was set up in 2009 by founders John Hughes and William Cirillo. John has Type 1 diabetes and is insulin-dependent. He suffered a hypoglycaemic event and was hospitalised because he double injected by mistake. As he negotiated his recovery, he began to think about how he can make sure he and fellow patients with diabetes would not find themselves in this position again. The concept was born there and then.

InsulCheck removes the doubt for insulin pen users while offering their care team an extra level of security as their patients deal with their complex condition. Using a simple, light, add-on that clips to their existing pen, the time since the last injection is recorded on a digital display. People with diabetes and their families now have peace-of-mind like never before.

Innovation Zed Ltd. (trading as InsulCheck) is a company registered in the Republic of Ireland. It is based in the Learning and Innovation Centre at the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown, Dublin."


Insulcheck have a website and a facebook page where you can find their contact details or order your very own Insulcheck.

Registration here for Thrive-abetes.

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Registration for Thrive-abetes is open!

Finally!! Registration for Thrive-abetes is open. 

However, before you buy your tickets for this conference, take a moment to read through "Who should attend Thrive-abetes?"

Who Should Attend Thrive-abetes?

The Thrive-abetes; Thrive with Type 1 Diabetes Conference is for:

- Adults living with Type 1 diabetes or Type 1.5 Diabetes, also known as LADA (Latent autoimmune diabetes of adults). 

- Partners, Spouses and Significant Others of Adults with type 1 and 1.5 are welcome to attend Thrive-abetes also. They should buy their ticket for the programme they wish to attend. 

- Parents or Guardians of a child or young person with type 1 diabetes.
It is with a heavy heart that we recommend that you to leave your child with diabetes at home, if you can. Please see this post for why we decided this.

Ticket Price.

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie) and can be purchased here. 

Are you a Winner in our Thrive-abetes Raffle?

We held our Thrive-abetes Fundraiser raffle on Saturday evening, May 30th, in The Grove Bar & Restaurant, Roslevan, Ennis, Co. Clare.

1st Prize of the signed 2014 Six Nations Ireland Rugby shirt goes to; 

Mairead Lynch, Clogher Head, Co. Louth 

Ticket No. 0075. We wish Mairead the very best of luck in her exams.

2nd Prize of Two nights B&B in Friar's Lodge Guest House, Kinsale, Co. Cork goes to;

Natasha Holohan 

Ticket No. 0341

Contact us Natasha so we can send you your prize!

3rd Prize of Two nights B&B in Friar's Lodge Guest House, Kinsale, Co. Cork goes to;

Daniel Hartnett, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick.

Ticket No. 0358.

4th Prize of the €60 Ticketmaster Voucher goes to;

Kate O'Donnell, Hospital, Co. Limerick. 

Ticket No. 0142

Congratulations to all our winners! And thanks to everyone who supported Thrive-abetes by buying a raffle ticket. 

Thanks also to our prize sponsors; DiabetesTone.com, Maureen Tierney of Friar's Lodge Guest House, and to Elissa Cassidy in Ticketmaster.ie

Why am I so excited about Joe Solo coming to Thrive-abetes?

I know that I am at risk of putting you all to sleep if I mention Friends for Life (FFL) UK again but I can’t stop talking about it.

One of the best things that happened was bumping into my insulin pump trainer in the corridor at FFL. After the usual how are you doing, what the hell are you doing in the UK? She hits me with "Are you going to run a conference like this in Ireland (she really knows how I work:-) and have you met Joe?"

I, of course, did not behave anything like a grown up would, but she insisted on introducing me and my friend, Christine to him. Within 60 seconds she had asked him if he would speak at our conference. It really pays to have good people in your corner!!

Who the hell is this Joe fella?

Myself and Christine had the pleasure of having him join us for lunch the next day. That was another fantastic thing about the FFL conference, everybody had lunch together, nobody sat alone, the healthcare professionals and families mixed socially. 

Anyway, we talked about how in my house I may be the one with diabetes but we all live with it. We talked about how children with diabetes do so much better with it emotionally when the family are a team. He even gave me a couple of pointers on how to perform my basal rate tests!

Joe is Joe Solowiejczyk, it’s a name I can never repeat or remember how to spell. Thankfully, he has made it easier for the world to talk about him by shortening it to Joe Solo. Joe is a registered nurse, diabetes educator and family therapist. He’s worked with families with diabetes for decades and he has lived with type 1 diabetes for 50+ years himself.

Joe works extensively with both patients and professionals on the Family-Approach to Diabetes Management. He works with paediatric patients and their families to help them cope with their child's diagnosis and daily challenge of living with diabetes. He designs educational and counselling programs for both children and adults with diabetes.

His ebook "A Type 1 Guide to the Universe"  introduces a new way to learn to thrive with diabetes. It is the first book to integrate the psychological and emotional aspects of dealing with diabetes into the core of its approach.

Joe is scheduled to open our conference with a keynote presentation. Plus present "Staying Motivated to take care of you diabetes, every day" to our Type 1 Adults group and chair a panel of Parents of children with diabetes.



I have included a couple of video links of Joe's talks on this link if you would like to know more about him.

Last chance to win!

As you may already know we organised a fund raiser raffle with a Signed 2014 Six Nations Irish rugby shirt up for grabs and other FANTASTIC prizes. 

There is just one more week to snap up the remaining few raffle tickets. Buy your raffle tickets  online on this page. Raffle tickets cost €5 per ticket. 

The raffle draw takes place on Saturday 30th May.

1st Prize: A SIGNED 2014 Six Nations Ireland rugby shirt! 

2nd Prize: Two nights B&B for two people in Friar's Lodge Guest House, Kinsale, Co. Cork. 

3rd Prize: Another Two nights B&B for two people in Friar's Lodge Guest House, Kinsale, Co. Cork. 

4th Prize: €60 voucher for Ticketmaster. 

Good luck!

Latest Update from Thrive-abetes

As you may already know we organised a fund raiser raffle with a Signed 2014 Six Nations Irish rugby shirt up for grabs and other FANTASTIC prizes. We are doing reasonably well with our ticket sales, with only 14 books of 10 tickets left to send out to any volunteer sellers out there.

We offered people who sell two books of 10 tickets a free Thrive-abetes conference ticket, worth €35, as a reward.

If anyone is interested in volunteering to sell 20 tickets, send me an email at thriveabetes@gmail.com with your address and I will get them to you as soon as possible.

The raffle draw takes place on Saturday 30th May and ticket stubs need to be returned by May 25th.

You can also buy raffle tickets online on this page. Raffle tickets cost €5 per ticket. 

In other news: 

We have confirmed a speaker from JDRF UK.
We have added another exhibitor.
Our next phase of planning will be to open registration for the conference, which we are hoping to do in early June.

Onwards and Upwards!

Who should attend Thrive-abetes?

Registration for Thrive-abetes will open in June and with this month fast approaching, you might be wondering who Thrive-abetes is for? 

The Thrive-abetes; Thrive with Type 1 Diabetes Conference is for:

- Adults living with Type 1 diabetes or Type 1.5 Diabetes, also known as LADA (Latent autoimmune diabetes of adults)

We have developed a programme especially for adults living with Type 1 and 1.5 diabetes through patient research.

- Parents or Guardians of a child or young person with type 1 diabetes

We have also developed a programme especially for Parents and Guardians of a child or young person with Type 1 diabetes through patient research.

You may also be wondering if you should bring your child to Thrive-abetes?

And our response to this question is that in the years to come, that is if Thrive-abetes is successful, we would love to develop and extend the programme to cater for children & young people with diabetes and their siblings. At the moment this isn't possible.

So, it is with a heavy heart that we ask you to leave your child with diabetes at home, if you can.

Are you wondering if you should bring your young person aged 12 to 18 to Thrive-abetes?

To answer this question I would ask you two questions first;

1) Do you think that your young person would rather attend the adult sessions?

2) And are you comfortable leaving them alone in the adult sessions? As you would be attending the parent sessions.

If the answer is yes to both of those questions then by all means they should attend.

However if you are intending on bring your child or young person with you to the parent sessions, please remember that you may feel uncomfortable talking about life with diabetes in front of your child and that they might resent hearing it.

The delegate fee for Thrive-abetes will cost €35. We have subsidized the delegate cost by incorporating an exhibition and offering businesses sponsorship opportunities.

Our Venue is Booked!!!

Yes, our venue is booked! We did a lot of research on trying to find the most accessible location in the whole country. And we did a lot of soul-searching on it.

We were fully focused on finding a location that would work for the most people. We wanted to find a venue that people from outside of the greater Dublin area would travel to without causing too much stress and expense. But we also wanted a venue that people from inside the greater Dublin area would find worth the traffic battle and accessible by public transport.

For those of you who have to travel the furthest distance; if you make the trip, we will promise to make it worth your while!

Myself and Christine drove to view our potential venue last Sunday. It took us 2 1/5 hours from Ennis, Co. Clare with one pit stop. AND we didn't get lost a single time. That's saying something for a couple of culchies!!! Seriously!

We feel, and we hope you do too, that we have found THE closest to perfect venue.

So, without further ado,.....

The Thrive-abetes; Thrive with Type 1 Diabetes Conference will take place on Saturday, 3rd of October 2015 in The Glen Royal Hotel on Straffan Road in Maynooth, Co. Kildare.

The Glen Royal is perfectly located just off the M4 at Exit 7 (Maynooth Exit) on the edge of Maynooth town. And when I say just off the M4, it is 2 kilometres from Exit 7.

The Maynooth Train and Bus Station is 350 metres from The Glen Royal. Yes, we checked! Google maps states that this is a four minute walk.

Maynooth is on the:
Dublin - Maynooth/Longford/M3 Parkway Train line
Bus Eireann by the No. 20  buses.
Dublin Bus No 67

* This information may not be completely accurate, it was very difficult to navigate the Irish transport websites to find this information (!?!). Please let me know if I have posted incorrect information. Thanks in Advance.

The Glenroyal Hotel Maynooth includes full leisure centre with 2 pools, Glenroyal Beauty treatment rooms, great bar and restaurant, free parking for guests,  and free wireless internet for delegates.

It is ON!!!
Gráinne.