Find out what the Beta Change team have been up to in 2019, including bilingual Global Postcards in various languages and our very first conference booth at the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

1. 2019 Annual Report
Be empowered. Be inspired. Be the change.

2. Table of Contents
A Message from the Beta Change Team ..................................................................... 3
Who We Are ...................................................................................................................... 4
Beta Change Values.................................................................................................................... 4
Strategic Pillars .............................................................................................................................. 4
2019 Highlights: Our Year in Review .............................................................................. 5
Upholding Our Strategic Pillars ................................................................................................... 5
2019 Milestones............................................................................................................................. 5
Special Highlight:.......................................................................................................................... 6
Our Impact........................................................................................................................ 7
Social Media Outreach ............................................................................................................... 7
Content Growth............................................................................................................................ 7
International Outreach................................................................................................................ 8
Global Interactions and Features........................................................................................... 8
Language Representation....................................................................................................... 8
Partner Organizations & Guest Contributors............................................................................. 9
Special Beta Change Shoutouts .............................................................................................. 10
Online & Social Media Mentions .............................................................................................. 11
Looking Forward............................................................................................................. 12
2020 Goals ................................................................................................................................... 12
Connect with Us.............................................................................................................. 12

3. A Message from the
Beta Change Team
Every person experiences the world in a different way, and each story
provides a new and unique perspective to the world we live in. As
members of Beta Change, we often hear people with diabetes say
that living with this condition can be isolating and lonely - until they
meet someone else living with diabetes or discover the diabetes
community online or IRL. As healthy as it is to share our experiences of
what it’s like to live with diabetes in our day-to-day lives, no one will
really understand better than someone else who also lives with it.
Exchanging these stories gives hope and inspires those in a dark place
not to give up. They motivate others to fight harder for their
community and remind us that life is precious. Some stories change us
and stay with us forever. These stories can also help those who don’t
live with diabetes better understand what we go through each day,
and the challenges we face and the achievements that are
meaningful to us.
Most importantly, these stories contribute toward a shift in the way
people think and talk about diabetes, which is important in this society
where we constantly hear noise about the negativity and blame
associated with diabetes. Our stories remind others that there is a
person behind the condition and that human lives are complex and
not just about diabetes management. At Beta Change, we show the
world what people with diabetes can achieve - and that none of us
are doing this alone.
Adapted from the Beta Change Blog Post: The Power of Sharing
Stories
Published June 8, 2019

4. Who We Are
Beta Change Values
Strategic Pillars

5. 2019 Highlights: Our Year in
Review
Upholding Our Strategic Pillars
2019 Milestones

6. Special Highlight:
Beta Change booth at the inaugural Peer
Support Communities Corner at AADE19
Executive Director, Ashley
Ng, attended the
conference for the third
year and hosted the Beta
Change table. We asked
visitors to write us mini
Global Postcards from the
American Association of
Diabetes Educators
conference, and we
handed out Beta Change
stickers and flyers.
Location: Houston, Texas
Other Contributing
Organizations
Thank you to the
sponsors:

7. Our Impact
Social Media Outreach
By the Numbers
Content Growth
+ 189 Facebook Likes in
2019
*We surpassed our goal of 550
for 2019!
+ 102 Twitter followers in
2019
*We surpassed our goal of 300
for 2019!

8. International Outreach
Global Interactions and Features
This year, we featured content from advocates across 20 countries
worldwide, including Australia, Belgium, Poland, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Lithuania, Norway,
Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, United Kingdom,
United States.
Language
Representation
In 2019, our
content spanned
across 10 different
languages.

9. Our People
Partner Organizations & Guest Contributors
 Anna Norton | DiabetesSisters
 Shelsea Deng | Typeonediabetic-
life.com, and @T1dlife +
@type1diabetic_life on Instagram
 Heather Gabel Walker |
thechronicscholar.com
 Dan’elle Whorton |
ColorMeGlucose
 Joe Solowiejczyk | A Mile in My
Shoes
 Nicole Reed | NYU Chapter of
College Diabetes Network
 Fabiana Couto | Divabetics //
Movimento Divabética
 T’ara Smith | Beyond Type 2
 George Kwayu | Tanzanian
Diabetes Youth Alliance (TDYA)
 Dr. Komal Kantikar |
TheDiabeticDoc
 Sena Yüzgeç | @Diabitess
 Sara Mobäck | @saramoback
 Alondra Zambrano | @type1latina
 T1International and the #insulin4all
movement
 Bianca Grima
 Aušra Gaudiesiene | MURKA.LT
 Anđela Pantelić
 Lea Raak | @insulea.de
 Weronika Burkot | Blue Sugar Cube

10. Special Beta Change
Shoutouts
Fiona Scott: ISPAD 2019 left me with an
overwhelming sense of positivity; there's
nothing we can’t overcome when
working with young people with diabetes
and their families! The event in Boston
showcased the future of diabetes
technology, including the incredible
outcomes of wearing a CGM. It also
highlighted that for many, CGM
technology and in some cases, insulin is
unaffordable, and we must continue to
fight to have access for all. Key messages
from the conference included:
• Niels Skipper: “School children who present
with type 1 diabetes have increased
absenteeism from school as early as 4
months before diagnosis.”
• Dr Beck: “CGM can now readily collect
glucose concentration with easy to use
sensors not requiring calibration and tells us
much more than does HbA1c.”
• Professor Anderson: “Diabetes distress is
more common than depression in people
with diabetes.”
• Jennifer Raymond: “Young Adults DO care
about their diabetes- we just need to care
for them differently.”
Pei Yan Heng: From 2 to 6 December
2019, Pei Yan attended the International
Diabetes Federation (IDF) Congress 2019
in Busan, Korea. Pei Yan had the
privilege to be invited to be part of the
Living with Diabetes stream
committee, a unique part of the
conference. Each IDF Congress leads to
memorable experiences: catching up
with old friends and making new friends,
inspiring each other with the stories of
our special lives. What made the 2019
event even more meaningful was seeing
Manny Hernandez receive the IDF Living
with Diabetes award for the diabetes
communities he has built!
Ashley Ng: Live On. Give On. In Kona,
Hawaii in early 2019, Ashley was named a
Bakken honoree for her advocacy efforts
alongside 11 other inspirational individuals
from around the world. The award was
accompanied by field trips to local groups
supported by the late Earl Bakken, as well
as workshops on leadership, advocacy,
storytelling and self-development.
Read more about Ashley’s experience in this
blog post. Beta Change has since shared
stories from other Bakken Awardees within
the diabetes community, including Rui from
China, George from Tanzania, and Komal
from India.

11. Check out Diabetes Sisters’
mention, diaTribe’s #followfriday
shoutout, Activist Dan Murchow’s
Diabetes Run Video & the
#WDDChat19 Twitter Takeover
thread - we were honored to host
an hour of this Twitter chat hosted
by Cherise (#DSMA) by leading a
discussion on sharing diverse stories
in the diabetes space.
Find Beta Change shout-outs in
articles and blog posts by:
• Weronika (ConnecT1ion blog)
• Shelsea (T1DLife blog)
• Renza (Diabetogenic blog)
• Diabetes Mine
Online & Social
Media Mentions

12. Looking Forward
2020 Goals
 Continue to expand our
library of diverse stories
and multilingual resources.
 Lean into online resources
by expanding initiatives
like the Beta Change -
Diabetes Advocate
Network on LinkedIn.
 Updating the Beta
Change website: www.BetaChange.org
Connect with Us
On our refreshed website: www.BetaChange.org
Beta Change Beta Change
@Beta_Change betachangenetwork@gmail.com
Beta Change © 2020
Compiled by Elisa and Mara McCartin