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Diaversary: 15 Years of Becoming

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Fifteen years. That’s how long I’ve been living with type 1 diabetes. ISPAD 51st Conference, 2025 I was diagnosed three days after Christmas in 2010 — a season meant for joy, abruptly rewritten by hospital corridors, insulin vials, needles, fear, and questions no family is prepared to answer. Life didn’t pause to let us catch our breath. It demanded adaptation — immediately, relentlessly. Diabetes didn’t knock. It arrived and stayed. 3 days before diagnosis, 2010 For many years, survival was the goal. Learning how to inject. Learning how to eat. Learning how to calculate, correct, and carry on. Learning how to live with a condition people rarely see but constantly misunderstand. There were highs and lows — physiological and emotional — and a quiet, exhausting weight that came with having to be vigilant every single day. Diabetes was personal. Private. Heavy. Then came 2019 — the turning point. Nine years after diagnosis, a call was made. An advocacy training camp for two people living ...
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World Diabetes Day 2025 Commemoration in Zimbabwe: A Celebration of Strength, Minds, and Meaningful Progress

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WDD Group Photo 2025 On 15 November 2025, the Zimbabwean diabetes community gathered at UNICEF Zimbabwe to commemorate World Diabetes Day (WDD) under the global theme “ Diabetes & Wellbeing .” Hosted in partnership with UNICEF Zimbabwe and the Lili Grace Foundation, this year’s commemoration became more than an event — it was a reaffirmation of our collective resilience, a celebration of children’s courage, and a bold reminder that diabetes care must always include the mind, the home, and the community. The hall was filled with children living with type 1 diabetes, parents, clinicians, advocates with lived experience, development partners, and representatives from organizations including Lili Grace Foundation, Solidarmed, UNICEF, Parirenyatwa Hospital, Sally Mugabe Children’s Hospital, and the Zimbabwe Diabetes Association. From the first moment, the atmosphere radiated warmth, pride, and a shared determination to keep pushing forward for better pediatric diabetes care. Setting the...
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The Revolution Will Be Equitable: What ISPAD 2025 Proved — and Exposed

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Cover image Introduction It was a profound honor and privilege to be part of the 51st ISPAD Scientific Conference 2025, held under the remarkable leadership of Dr. Mélanie Henderson and Dr. Julia von Oettingen, the distinguished convening co-presidents. This year’s conference stood as a beacon of innovation, equity, and collaboration — uniting the brightest minds in pediatric diabetes to reimagine the future of care. To witness the exchange of groundbreaking science, lived experiences, and global perspectives within such a visionary space was both humbling and electrifying — a testament to how far we have come, and how boldly we must continue to move forward. My Role & Contributions I am deeply grateful to have served not only as a member of the Scientific Conference Committee, but also as an invited speaker and co-chair in pivotal sessions shaping the global diabetes discourse. My contributions spanned across multiple platforms — from my presentation on “Co-creating solutions to b...
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Beyond Limits: The 2025 Integrated NCD Camp Report

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Participants in blue and facilitators in red We successfully hosted a powerful integrated camp for young people living with Type 1 Diabetes, Sickle Cell Disease, and Rheumatic Heart Disease at Mkoba Teachers College, Gweru, from the 26th to the 30th of August 2025. The camp was organized by the Midlands Diabetes Interest Group, in collaboration with SolidarMed, and in partnership with the Lili Grace Foundation, Panorama Global/T1D Community Fund, Size Investments, Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH), Profmed, Diamond Pharmacy, Lions Club Gweru, Gweru Children’s Specialist Hospital, and Gweru City Council. What made this camp unique was not only the diversity of conditions represented but also the holistic and interactive approach taken. Every session was designed to encourage questions, dialogue, and real-time learning, ensuring that the content was not just theoretical but directly relevant to the participants’ daily lives. Highlights from the Sessions 1st Session We opened with ...
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