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.

Type 1 Diabetes; positivity is key in our management!

Conor Sheil currently works in marketing and volunteers as a coach with the Leinster Cricket Union. In my opinion, Conor's story is one with a difference. He was hailed as a very promising cricket player and according to Ireland Under 19 Coach Matt Dwyer, Sheil was close to being selected for the final World Cup squad (source; Ireland's Emerging Talent)

He came forward to volunteer with organising Thrive-abetes last September. I asked him why he wanted to get involved and this is what he wrote;

“Type 1 Diabetes; It's difficult. It's upsetting. It's life-threatening. It never goes away!

There's no doubt about it, Type 1 diabetes is life changing and requires serious commitment and effort. Don't get me wrong there's not a day that goes by where I wish I didn't live with type 1 but I have a lot to be thankful for since diagnoses. Let me explain that statement!! I've since acquired patience, commitment, dedication and loyalty to my disease with overlays into everyday life.

I was an underachiever, big time. I regret this!! I never excelled even though I had lots of talent. I played cricket for Ireland from the age of 13 until I was 19. I played in international tournaments in South Africa, Australia and throughout Europe. I had access to high quality coaching. Sadly I'd never put in the hard yards to progress fully due to lack of dedication. I'd never actually given 100% to training or playing, I just went through the motions and hoped talent would get me by.

That all changed since my diagnosis!!! It took a long term illness to get me on the right track, and the future to look bright. Diabetes has made me a different person, for the better. I'm now determined, dedicated, enthusiastic, grateful and also my maths has improved 100% due to all that calculating and carb counting. I've never been so healthy and fit in my life. Last Tuesday, I was in the gym in the morning for a 80 minute intense session and then a hot yoga session. The same in the evening for 70 mins.... If you go back 5 years and said I'd be doing that and I'd have a quick abrupt answer for you!!!

Diabetes has given me great drive. I use all the negative effects of what may happen if I don't look after myself and put a positive spin on it. If I'm out running and feel like giving up before my pre planned goal, I'll quickly think "run that 10km or risk losing my sight"! It's just something that works for me and always keeps me on track and pushing myself.

That's why when I heard that there was going to be an event for type 1 diabetics I jumped at the chance to get involved. A positive event about Type 1 Diabetes can only mean good things as I believe positivity is key in our management. Getting amongst people with the same disease and also experts in the field can only mean good things for all of us and even if you go away with just one piece of knowledge that's a success.

I could actually write for days about diabetes and what I have learned in my short time as a diabetic but I don't want to bore anybody. So let's all get behind Thrive-abetes and make it a massive success!!”

Thank you Conor and we are looking forward to meeting you face to face at Thrive-abetes.

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.