Living with type 1 diabetes is a constant balancing act that requires constant attention, determination, commitment and support. But in the population it is still little known. The international campaign returns for the second consecutive year to turn the spotlight on this chronic condition #BlueBalloonChallenge promoted by Medtronic. In this new edition, in addition to various awareness-raising initiatives aimed at the general public, the campaign also includes the donation of funds by the company in favor of Life for a Child, a non-profit organization that deals with providing life-saving insulin and basic medical devices for children with diabetes in developing countries.
“The type 1 diabetes it is a chronic condition that often arises suddenly in childhood or during adolescence with a strong impact on quality of life. A condition that is still often ‘invisible’ and difficult to understand by those who do not experience it on their own skin because they are not fully known – says Luigi Morgese, Sr. business director of Medtronic Diabete Italia – With our wide portfolio of advanced technological solutions able to automate insulin delivery, we want to help people with type 1 diabetes reduce the effort required to manage therapy and do it more peacefully. Building on the success of 2021, we have decided to promote a new edition of the #BlueBalloonChallenge. A digital campaign that, through the metaphor of a blue balloon held in balance during daily activities, aims to make people understand the conditions of life and the challenges that people with type 1 diabetes are called to face every day “.
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the body does not produce insulin or does not produce enough insulin, generating an excess of glucose in the blood. Unlike type 2 diabetes, it cannot be prevented and it does not develop as a result of a particular lifestyle. According to the WHO, in the world there are 422 million people suffering from diabetes of the two types, and about 5% of the Italian population suffer from it. In Italy there are about 300 thousand people who suffer specifically from type 1 diabetes, equal to 0.5% of the population, with an incidence of 8.1 children per 100 thousand every year. It is a chronic condition that typically occurs in childhood or adolescence, but can also occur in adults. Type 1 diabetes cannot be cured, but it is possible to keep it under control by respecting insulin therapy, following a healthy diet and engaging in physical activity.
Over the past few years, the results of scientific research and technological innovations have made therapy for type 1 diabetes much simpler and easier to manage. Today, people with diabetes can achieve excellent control of their blood sugar levels and live a normal and free life in all respects. However, this condition still has an important impact on the habits and daily life of those who suffer from it, marking every moment of the day.
To make the impact of this condition ‘visible’, the #BlueBalloonChallenge campaign has chosen the language of metaphor: in a video the daily challenge of people with diabetes is represented as a balancing exercise in keeping a balloon suspended in the air while taking place. common activities, such as getting ready for going out, doing homework, caring for a baby and playing a sport. The video, available in the section of the Medtronic website dedicated to insights on diabetes (https://medtronic-diabete.it), shows scenes of common life in which patients, while leading a normal life, can never ignore their condition. unlike those around them who, at times, do not perceive and therefore do not understand the challenges they face.
With the aim of creating an even deeper involvement and facilitating a concrete understanding of what it means to live life with type 1 diabetes, the campaign invites everyone to participate in the #BlueBalloonChallenge by sharing content on social media while carrying out a common activity. holding a balloon in the air or using the Instagram filter dedicated to the initiative.
For each social content posted with the reference #BlueBalloonChallenge and with the tag @medtronicita on Instagram, @MedtronicDiabetes on LinkedIn or @Medtronicdiabete on Facebook, Medtronic will make a donation of 5 euros to Life for a Child, a non-profit organization that deals with to provide insulin and basic medical devices to children with diabetes in developing countries such as Tanzania, Mexico and India. In 2021 – reads a Medtronic note – Life for a Child has already supplied 291,200 insulin syringes and pens, 414,836 insulin bottles, 18,596,895 test strips for glucose monitoring.
“I want to thank everyone who participated in last year’s #BlueBalloonChallenge – says Graham Ogle, General Manager of Life for a Child – Medtronic’s generous donation, made on behalf of the online diabetes community, has helped Life for a Child provide to thousands of children and teens with diabetes insulin and glucose monitoring tools to which they would otherwise have limited access. ”
The second phase of the campaign will also see the involvement of some influencers who will have the task of promoting the #BlueBalloonChallenge and making their community aware of the complexities of the disease and the importance that adequate support can have so that people in this condition can live a life. full and free.
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