We often describe people living with diabetes as resilient. And perhaps that is something worth celebrating. Living with diabetes means adapting, problem-solving, dealing with setbacks and finding ways to keep going, even on the hardest days. 😥
But I've been thinking about the word resilience a little differently since reading this article by Katriona O'Sullivan in the Irish Independent. In it she challenges the way we celebrate resilience, as though being able to endure difficult circumstances is something we should all aspire to. And it really resonated with me.
Because while people living with diabetes often demonstrate extraordinary resilience, we shouldn't have to become resilient just to survive. We shouldn't have to fight so hard to access the care, technology, medication or support we need. We shouldn't have to constantly advocate for ourselves just to be heard, understood or taken seriously. And we shouldn't have to carry the emotional weight of diabetes alone simply because we've become good at coping with it.
Sometimes, when we celebrate someone's resilience, we forget to ask why they have had to be so resilient in the first place. Perhaps instead of always praising people with diabetes for how much they can cope with, we should be asking what we can do to make living with diabetes less difficult.
Resilience is not a substitute for support. And being good at coping doesn't mean someone isn't struggling.
Thank you Katriona O'Sullivan's for your article on resilience in the Irish Independent, published on 24 October 2026.
Author: Katriona O'Sullivan for the Irish Independent, published on 24 October 2026.