In an online world overrun by trendy beauty and fitness influencers, Lucy Woods is offering something totally different, yet invaluable, to social media.
The Perth woman has been posting about her lived experience with Type 1 diabetes for about three years and ahead of National Diabetes Week, has something she wants people to know.
“There is a lot of stigma still, but something people don’t often know is that there are some silver linings to diabetes,” the 24-year-old said.
“Like the community and improved health literacy for example. I don’t think that I would be taking as much care of myself if I didn’t have Type 1 diabetes.”
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People with Type 1 require daily insulin replacement to survive.
Through her Instagram and TikTok pages, which accumulatively has about 10,000 followers, Ms Woods is selective about what she shares because of darker times when she was an impressionable teenager.
“I went through a really big period with severe diabetes burnout, and at that time there were a few people posting online, but I wanted to stay away from it. I was comparing everyone to myself, and feeling like I’m not doing a good job,” she explained.
“So that’s something that I have worked into my strategy; making it a really safe place, and being very particular with the different words that I use and the different experiences that I share.”
While realistic about the “gruelling, exhausting and painful” challenges of the condition, Ms Woods’ focus has shifted to making the best of her situation.
“There are some really great things about living with diabetes like the people you meet, and the feelings you get from seeing there are other people going through a similar thing, and that you’re not alone,” she said.
There’s a meaningful purpose behind her videos showing things like the careful planning involved with applying the perfect self tan around her insulin pump, and the intricacies of having a warm shower without her glucose levels getting too low.
“I think it’s really important for people not living with diabetes to know that it’s not the end of the world. Yes, it is it’s really rough, but at the end of the day, we’re still people,” she said.
“We’re working, we’re having hot showers, and we’re tanning on a Thursday night, it’s not just sad all of the time.”
Her message echoes the National Diabetes Week campaign, Living Out Loud which will run from July 12 to 18.
“Sometimes it can feel like the voices of people living with diabetes get overshadowed by statistics and stereotypes,” Diabetes Australia’s Group CEO, Justine Cain said.
“This campaign is about putting lived experience front and centre, because the people who live it every day are the ones who truly understand it.
“When people speak openly about their experiences, it challenges dangerous stigma. It shows that diabetes is complex, constant and often invisible, and that no one should have to face it alone.
“This campaign isn’t just about telling stories, it’s about driving change. It helps to shape better policies, better prevention measures, better care and research, and a better understanding of what it really means to live with diabetes.”
The organisation wants to inspire the more than 150,200 West Australians living with diabetes to share their stories online, and finish the sentence, “I wish people knew...”.
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