Help Save Lives With #SeeTheSigns—3 Simple Ways to Get Involved!
Undiagnosed type 1 diabetes is life-threatening. Early diagnosis of type 1 diabetes saves lives. This is where you come in!
You may know that early signs of diabetes are often mistaken for a urinary tract infection, a growth spurt in children or teens, type 2 diabetes, an eating disorder or other illness. Later signs of diabetes, once someone is making very little insulin and approaching or in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) are often mistaken for the flu, COVID-19, stomach virus or other illness.
Many people assume type 1 diabetes is purely genetic so there’s no way they can develop it, even though 93 percent of new cases of type 1 diabetes (T1D) have no family history of the disease.
Many people still believe that only children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, even though more than half of all new cases of T1D occur in adults.
Unfortunately, these kinds of inaccurate beliefs lead to deaths. Around the world, 35,860 people have died of type 1 diabetes in 2022 without ever receiving a diagnosis.
We need your help to change this story.
Together, through our #SeeTheSigns of diabetes awareness campaign, we’re making sure everyone knows the signs of diabetes so every person developing the autoimmune disease can receive a timely diagnosis and stay as healthy as possible.
Get involved and help save lives:
1. Share our #SeeTheSigns of diabetes social media graphics
Head over to our #SeeTheSigns, Share the Signs! page to find a variety of sharable social media graphics.
Post to social media with the hashtags #SeeTheSigns and #T1D and remember to tag us @BeyondType1!
2. Request #SeeTheSigns posters to share in your community
Distributing #SeeTheSigns posters in your community ensures people who aren’t spending time online know the signs of diabetes too. You can post them at your local coffee shop, school, college, camp, supermarket and more.
Request your free posters to distribute here.
3. Post your own #SeeTheSigns photo or video
Post a picture or reel using your fingers to share the number of signs you/your loved one had and share your story about which signs you experienced. Our primary channel is Instagram, though please post across all your social channels too!
- STEP 1: Take a selfie (photo or video) holding up your fingers to show the number of signs you experienced before being diagnosed.
- If it’s zero, i.e. you didn’t notice any signs, use your hand to create a zero.
- If you are creating a reel on Instagram please create it to the song Eye of The Tiger, ideally starting at the 18-second mark (click here to see the part to start). For information on how to add music to a reel on Instagram, click here.
- STEP 2: Share your story! In your post share the signs you saw in yourself or your loved one. Four of the key signs are excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss and exhaustion.
- STEP 3: In your post, thank and tag the people who helped you #SeeTheSigns.
- STEP 4: In your caption, consider including: “November 14 is #WorldDiabetesDay – I’m sharing my signs so others can #SeeTheSigns #T1D. Join our community & share yours.” Please remember to tag us @BeyondType1! In Spanish, #SeeTheSigns is #VeLasSeñales. You can also add #SeeTheSigns stickers to your stories and reels on Instagram—just search ‘seethesigns’ under the GIF stickers section.
Thank you for helping others #SeeTheSigns of diabetes! You are saving lives. Thank you!
