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Maria Dent with her daughters
Women like Maria Dent from Western Sydney, who is a registered nurse and mother, caring for three daughters aged from 8 – 15, who all live with type 1 diabetes.
“To say the diagnosis was a shock is an understatement,” said Maria. “Our whole world changed the very instant I was told they all had type 1 diabetes. The first 12 months following their diagnosis was extremely intense. I could never have imagined the level of daily care my girls required, from the regular injections to the constant monitoring.”
Inspired by her daughters’ positive attitudes, Maria Dent has become a true advocate for type 1 diabetes.
“This has been a challenging journey for us all, but I have learnt the importance of resilience and never giving up hope. And through undertaking studies next year in the field of Diabetes Management I hope to further educate myself and others,” said Maria.
Currently 57,000 women and girls in Australia are living with type 1 diabetes and 502,000 women and girls are living with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes and its complications is now the ninth leading cause of death for women globally.
Gestational Diabetes Melitus (GDM) is also on the rise, affecting nearly one in every seven pregnancies. More than 100 Australian women are diagnosed with GDM every day and there are currently 38,000 managing the condition during their pregnancy.
Thirty seven percent of all Australian women with GDM live in NSW and the ACT, with particularly high rates of incidence across the Sydney metropolitan area, the South Coast and Canberra and its surrounds.
CEO of Diabetes NSW & ACT Sturt Eastwood said, “Women with GDM have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life, so it’s important that we improve the care and education they receive to ensure the best outcomes for both the mother and child.”
Throughout November, Diabetes NSW & ACT are encouraging people to recognise the women and girls in their life who are their Diabetes Super SHEroes.
“Living with diabetes can be challenging and impact an individual’s quality of life,” said Sturt Eastwood. “This World Diabetes Day we’re shining a light some of the impacts for women and paying tribute to the Super SHEroes who use their inner strength to the ride the ups and downs of diabetes.”
Nominate your Super SHEroe on the Diabetes NSW & ACT Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DiabetesNSWACT/ using #SuperSHEroStrong.
For information or support managing your diabetes, call 1300 342 238 or visit
http://diabetesnsw.com.au/.