CWD News

Looking to keep up with the latest from our 20th (!) Friends for Life conference next week? Follow the official hashtag #FFLOrlando19 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for as-they-happen stories from FFL.

“In that one moment, I knew this was where I belonged.” Julia shares a story from her first Friends for Life conference, where she found her first “diabetes moms,” and why this moment was such a game-changer for her. So many moments like this happen during the magical week that is Friends for Life. Whether […]

We are proud to have powerhouse advocate Cherise Shockley as part of our 2019 Orlando faculty.  She’ll be joining a panel of diabetes online community leaders to talk about peer support and how the Internet can make a difference in your diabetes care. Cherise was diagnosed with LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in adults) June 2004. […]

Wondering who is behind some of your favorite Friends for Life sessions and programs?  Your FFL Chats host Sam Billetdeaux, living with type 1 diabetes, sits down with a dozen different Friends for Life personalities to talk diabetes, their experiences at FFL, and how they make diabetes work for them. Check out the full slate […]

For seasoned Friends for Lifers, the green and orange bracelets show us that we’re not alone.  Green bracelets are for people living with diabetes, and orange bracelets are worn by people without diabetes who support a friend or family member with diabetes. These groups support one another, and the difference they make is felt in […]

Justin Masterson is a strategist and designer heavily rooted in the pursuit of deep human insight. His career began as a news anchor and feature producer for NPR, where he learned that every story is a human story, and that even the most complex problems are, at their core, human problems. He was thrilled to find […]

“Fiffles have truly become my family and the experience of finding true friendship at a diabetes conference goes far beyond a diagnosis of diabetes.” Whether you call them “eff-eff-ells” or “fiffles,” the friends you make at Friends for Life will help make living with diabetes easier.  And this week, we’re very proud to host an […]

Sam Billetdeaux sat down with some of our Friends for Life faculty last summer, and the result is our new FFL Chats series on YouTube.  Hear from a duo with orange bracelets, a T1D strongman, a CWD board member, and more talking about their experiences at Friends for Life and why Children with Diabetes is […]

Jay Hewitt is an athlete, attorney and keynote speaker. He is the only person with type 1 diabetes to qualify for the U.S. National Long Distance Triathlon Team, racing three years for Team USA at the World Championships in Denmark, Sweden and Australia. He raced 14 ultra distance and Ironman triathlons – a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile […]

“The bracelets? They were a mix of necessity and practicality, sprinkled with some pretty significant magic.” Have you ever wondered why people with diabetes wear green bracelets at Friends for Life?  Laura Billetdeaux tells the story of the green bracelets, and how they’ve come to mean so much to the CWD community.