A group of three young girls, Naya, Paloma and Chloe, are turning friendship into action, raising funds and awareness for type 1 diabetes (T1D) through a community bowling fundraiser. United by their shared experiences living with the condition, the trio supports one another while advocating for change, this time one bowling ball at a time.
“Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease,” said Paloma, lives with T1D. “My immune system attacked my pancreas, and it no longer produces insulin which keeps me alive so now I have to basically become my pancreas and take insulin. I’m a hockey player and on and off the ice my mom’s always monitoring my blood sugars. I have to bring juice on the ice and sometimes when I just want to play hockey it can really affect that.”
The fundraiser highlights both the daily challenges of living with T1D and the strong support system surrounding the girls.
“It’s definitely an honour like having so much people behind my back and supporting me all the time,” said Nyah, lives with T1D. “Each donation and just support it means a lot.”
For families, managing the condition requires constant attention. Paloma’s mother, Leana Satim, says careful planning is especially important during sports.
“We really have to think about how much insulin she has on board before she plays, the type of meals that are going to fuel her but that don’t require her to dose too much because she can go very low from the activity so I’m constantly monitoring her from the sidelines,” said Satim.
Even with that support, the condition can make everyday moments more complicated.
“I usually look at my mom to see if she’s already signaling me and then I just feel like I just want to play,” said Paloma. “Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating.”
“She knows to try to listen to her body’s cues when she feels a little bit low that she might have to get off a shift a little bit early so that she can have a little bit of juice,” said Satim. “It makes it so that she can’t just be a carefree kid playing the sport that she loves.”
As the girls get older, their routines must also adapt.
“It’s definitely impacting a bit more because I’m in high school now and I have to shift my schedule around in high school if I’m around lower high,” said Chloe. “It’s not really that hard. I still manage.”
Despite the challenges, the girls say their experiences have helped shape their resilience and sense of purpose.
“I feel like I have more strength in hard times and I’m more capable of like I can represent the T1D community which is amazing,” said Nyah.
They hope their efforts will lead to greater awareness and, ultimately, a cure.
“More people would be aware, more people could donate so we could find a cure for type 1 diabetes,” said Chloe.
“There’s so much better technology and one day I really hope for a cure,” said Paloma.
When asked how she thinks she might feel if a cure were found, Paloma shared an emotional response.
“I would feel so, so amazing,” said Paloma. “I would probably cry and it would be really the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
In total, the fundraiser raised $2,500 for Breakthrough T1D, bringing the community one step closer to that goal.
