LIVINGLIVING
also have diabetes. I guess it makes me
more relatable. Maybe one day I will go
on a pump, but for now I'm happy with
what I use."
Another tool that Griffiths uses is carbcounting. "When I was 16 I changed from
just using injections of mixed insulin to a
basal/bolus regime and at that point I was
seeking information about matching food
to insulin doses. Until then I'd just injected
quick-acting insulin three times a day with
meals. I learned the hard way after having
a bad patch of hypos that I needed to
know more about my food. I was lucky
to do a DAFNE course at Queen Mary's
Hospital in Sidcup and that was an eyeopener and has held me in good stead
ever since."
DiAthletism
In 2015 Griffiths began setting DiAthlete
as a professional sports and education
arrangement and he is in the process of
setting it up as a charity. It incorporates
a global aspect, that of an International
League of DiAthletes. Through this he has
built up a network of contacts of people
living with diabetes all around the world
and has DiAthlete advocates in different
countries. Griffiths says, "They are my
friends with diabetes and they are a huge
support to me, people like Mo in Kuwait
who was diagnosed during the first Gulf
War, and Sana Ajmal who is from Pakistan
and who co-founded Meethi Zindagi, the
only organisation in Pakistan that provides
peer support to people with Type 1
diabetes."
In July of this year he is bringing
several of the global advocates together
in the UK for some training. He says, "I
see this as being my work, it's about Type
1 diabetes on a global scale, it takes a lot
of organizing and is what I am passionate
about. As 'Gavin' I work other jobs to help
earn money, but being 'DiAthlete' is the
full-time, cool part of my life today."
The DiAthlete thanks Dexcom, Frio
and Decathlon, the companies who
supplied products, support and
sponsorship to help Griffiths complete
his epic endeavor.
www.diathlete.org
For more on the new G6
sensor, see over the page.