The Diaversary Club Needs Donations to Give #T1D Kids Magical Day #DMom #Diabetes

If you’re looking to make a difference in the world, there’s a wonderful group that could use your support this holiday season. As the mother of a child with Type 1 Diabetes, I’m very tapped into the diabetes community and I recently learned of The Diaversary Club. A “diaversary” is the anniversary of the day you were diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Many people don’t realize how much your life changes when you are diagnosed with T1D. I found it heartwarming when I heard about The Diaversary Club’s mission. Every month the club sends out a package to those who have diaversaries. The packages include cards made by other people from around the world, and small toys and goodies that were donated by other moms. The majority of the members are children from the ages of 6 months on up to 18, though there are also some adults who belong as they appreciate the support.


With Type 1 diabetes on the rise and positive feedback about the group spreading across the Internet, membership has skyrocketed in a very short time and The Diaversary Club needs your support especially over the next couple months. Here are some ways you can help:

1. The club always need $5 Starbucks gift cards, $5-$10 gift cards, coloring books, stickers, and package stuffers (think stocking stuffer type things.) They also have Amazon wishlists set up for each month. You can email andi at thediaversaryclub.org if you would like to help in this way. **They are in dire need of help for December as so many families joined the last few weeks and December is the month with the most diaversaries.**

2. The club uses yellow padded bubble envelopes (small, medium & large), packing tape, and labels to send out packages. Each package costs anywhere from $2 – $10 (for out of country) to ship. You can email andi at thediaversaryclub.org if you would like to donate mailing supplies.

Example of Diaversary package for a girl.

3. You can make a monetary donation here. You can donate as much as you wish in $5 increments.

4. Purchase diabetes-related items such as beautiful customizable holiday ornaments in this Etsy shop. Name and diaversary can be customized on the ornament. How neat is that? Sales help to defray expenses.

Example of Diaversary package for a boy.

People with T1D do not make any of their own insulin, so they have to get their insulin through insulin shots or an insulin pump, as many as eight shots every single day. They must test their blood sugar by pricking their finger for blood six or more times every day. Keeping blood sugar at a normal level is not easy. Just about every carbohydrate they eat needs to be calculated. Thank goodness we have insulin, but sometimes it causes lows, and it doesn’t always work the way we wish it would to prevent highs. Having a blood sugar that is too low or too high can sometimes make people with T1D feel sick and can be dangerous. Childhood illnesses such as stomach bugs need to be monitored closely as they can lead to something called ketones, which results in many emergency room visits for people with Type 1 Diabetes. The disease is NOT caused by eating too much sugar or by being overweight. It is an autoimmune disease, and no one knows what causes T1D to happen or how to prevent it from happening. It’s impossible to forget that terrifying day your child was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and your whole world turned upside down. And if the child is old enough to remember life before carb counting, finger pricks, injections, and rollercoasters of highs and lows, believe me, they’re not going to forget that date either. We celebrate a diaversary in my household every year, trying to remember how far we have come rather than focusing on the sadness of that day.

The Diaversary Club will enhance our day this year as it will be remarkable for my child to receive a package from someone who understands what it is like to deal with this autoimmune disease on a daily basis. Andi Anderson said she founded the group to celebrate how brave, strong, and amazing those with Type 1 Diabetes have been for an entire year. “Our main goal is to bring a smile to the faces of those dealing with Type 1 Diabetes on a daily basis,” she said. “The first thought of The Diaversary Club came to me while I was sitting in a hospital room with our son who was in DKA for the second time that year. His very first diaversary was approaching quickly, and I was seriously dreading it. We had just been through the worst year of our lives and I wanted to do something for him. I didn’t want to celebrate him having Type 1 Diabetes …. because, honestly, who in their right mind would? I wanted to celebrate how strong he had been that year. He was only 2 years old, and he had already had more shots and pokes then most adults will ever have. {Of course not Type 1 adults!} in their entire lives.”

If you have a child with Type 1 Diabetes, you can join the club for a $5 annual fee. Visit the Facebook page for information.

Please help to support this wonderful group – T1D kids are superheroes and I love that this club wants to make their diaversary day extra special. For more of my diabetes-related posts, please scroll down to the bottom of this page.

Stacy Juba

Stacy Juba has written sweet and sassy chick lit novels, mysteries about determined women sleuths, and entertaining books for young adults and children. Her books include the Storybook Valley chick lit series and the Hockey Rivals young adult sports novels.

Stacy is also a freelance developmental editor and online course creator. Sign up for her free masterclass, How to Create Your Editing Game Plan. 

Stop by her other websites and blogs: Shortcuts for Writers and Hockey Rivals.

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