Hello everybody! I wanted to take a quick minute to introduce myself to you all. My name is Keyonna, and I grew up in Randolph, a suburban town in northern New Jersey. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at age eight following months of symptoms that rapidly increased in severity. Within two years of being diagnosed, I started using an insulin pump, and more recently, a couple of months before my seventeenth birthday, I acquired a Dexcom G6 CGM.

Despite having diabetes for eight years, I just started getting involved in my local support group, Teen Talk of Northwest New Jersey, about a year ago. Since then, I’ve gone on to form strong friendships with other teens living with T1D through Teen Talk and have become a Breakthrough T1D Youth Ambassador. My goal as part of my work with Breakthrough T1D is to inspire, entertain, and lift up others living with T1D as we all fight this fight together. I believe in the importance of connecting with similar individuals over social media, and hope to help cultivate an environment in which such communication becomes more widespread.

I’m a senior in high school and am part of a program for upperclassmen that allows students to form an independent study plan. For my project, I became an intern for Breakthrough T1D New Jersey Metro & Rockland County Chapter. You’ll be seeing me involved with many of Breakthrough T1D’s marketing campaigns, whether through social media platforms or attending their many events.

I’m so grateful to have the chance to reach out to you, and be a part of the mission to turn Type One into Type None!

Please note: The views expressed above are the writer’s own. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.