Some of your friends may have never heard of diabetes. So, when you first tell your friends, it’s important to help them understand what diabetes is and how it affects you and the things that you do. It’s also important for them to understand that diabetes is not contagious and that having diabetes doesn’t define you. You’re still the same kid you’ve always been and you can still do the same things you’ve always done. You just happen to have diabetes.
Cover the Basics
Your friends might wonder if they can catch diabetes from hanging out with you. Let them know that you can’t catch diabetes like the flu or a cold. Tell them that having diabetes just means your body doesn’t make enough insulin. If they don’t know what insulin is, you can tell them it’s a hormone made in your pancreas that helps your body use sugar from food for energy.
Tips for Talking to Your Friends:
- Show your friends how you check your blood sugar.
- Tell your friends how having diabetes makes you feel and ask them what makes them feel the same way.
- Host a diabetes party at your house. Teach your friends how to make delicious healthy snacks, share a story or tell them what you’ve learned about diabetes. You can have them bring their parents so your parents can teach them about diabetes, too.