Tiana Pearson Camp

I was diagnosed with Type 1 in February of 2004, and went to my first CWD conference a year later! After that first conference my family was hooked and we attended conferences all over the country, even attending the FFL Orlando conferences summer after summer. A couple years after I was diagnosed with Type 1, I also found out I have MODY 5 (mature onset diabetes of the young), and when I was 16 I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Diabetes is obviously a huge part of my life, and I was always so excited to attend conferences and even take friends along with me. It was also cool to eat at the gluten free table once I added that yellow band to my wrist! Looking back, CWD was and is a very important part of my life and the conferences made me feel like I belonged somewhere and showed me there are people who know exactly what I am going through. When I went to college, I stopped attending conferences but still sought out diabuddies through a diabetes club at my university. At my wedding this past July, I chose to wear my dexcom and insulin pump where they could be seen by everyone, and I chose patches to match the theme of my wedding!

This past February I celebrated 19 years with diabetes. During a trip to Seattle to visit a friend, I saw that the CWD conference was also in Seattle and I decided I just had to stop by. Even after over a decade away, everyone was so kind and excited to see me. Jeff Hitchcock asked me how many years I have had diabetes, and presented me with the CWD Journey Award. Receiving this award was incredibly meaningful to me because CWD has always been so important to me and one of the best parts of my diabetes journey, and it was so special to feel like I still belong after several years away!