You Are Not Alone – A COVID-19 Film For the Diabetes Community
Editor’s Note: this piece is a personal story from Beyond Type 1 Leadership Council Member Peter Friedfeld reflecting on COVID-19 and the creation of the You Are Not Alone short film. View the film here, or scroll to the end of the article.
These past eight months are a blur.
All of us have been challenged in unique ways, and we know people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are always up for a good challenge. During these days and months of living with our new reality, the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded our daily challenges and created a new set of fears. Today, more than ever before, we are faced with loneliness, uncertainty, ‘lockdowns’ and isolation. Yet, we have never felt more connected as a community.
The holidays are a special time, as we gather with friends and family to celebrate and share together. This season feels so different, faced with our new reality. I have personally been challenged that, as a person with diabetes, I need to take extra precautions to keep myself safe and healthy.
At a time when we thought it might be safe to be with others, to finally reconnect with our friends and families, we are faced with new calls for further isolation as the virus swells on its second (or is it the third?) wave. The dark winter is upon us early, and again, we are being asked to hunker down.
My message to all is YANA—you are not alone. Our connections are deep, varied, online and in real life, and we are stronger through our shared experiences.
Back in March 2020, as COVID-19 was racing across the globe and we were all experiencing our first lockdown, something very special was happening in Bangalore, India. At that time, my friend and fellow T1D Erik Douds, had just finished cycling across southern India to raise awareness for diabetes. As challenging as that ride was, it turned out to be the easiest part of his journey. Erik arrived in Bangalore (without his passport which was lost on the journey) in time to experience one the harshest national lockdowns—the complete shutdown of a country of over 1.3 billion people. The financial markets, the transportation systems, work, school—everything closed. With only one month of diabetes supplies, Erik would spend four months in lockdown, isolated in a roof-top apartment, sharing a home with a family who thought their guest was staying for a week.
When the US offered a one-time opportunity for Americans to evacuate India, Erik chose to stay put. Armed with a laptop and camera, Erik began to document his experience, discussing how he felt safer in this isolation in India than in his hometown of NY which was experiencing the harshest effects of COVID-19 in the world. His YouTube video ‘Should an American Evacuate India’ has over 280,000 views. It was during these months in lockdown, that the idea for the film was born.
Erik began to collaborate with the global diabetes community, posting updates about his experience and sharing his story. Realizing he was not alone in this feeling of isolation, he reached out to collect the voices of the diabetes community, asking them to share their own experiences during this unique historical period. The result, the You Are Not Alone short film, is a collection of 27 voices from the diabetes community—about the uncertainties of our lives, our fear and our hopes.
At the same time, Erik and the diabadass.com community, connected daily and weekly in online classes focused on fitness, mediation and education. At an online ‘Face Fears’ Summit, the community created a platform to raise funds to help support others experiencing change in the world of COVID-19. And through that effort, YANA—You Are Not Alone, was born. Inspired by the film, singer songwriter Qiqi Drew wrote a beautiful song that captured the feelings of the time. The song is a message of hope, and a reminder that after the rain, there will be rainbows.
When watching the film today and hearing messages from our community in the early days of the pandemic, it is amazing to compare what has changed, and what has not. The film captures a moment in time, hauntingly reflecting the real insecurities we all face. It recognizes what we are losing—our time with friends, our feeling of ‘safety’, our independence. At the same time there are moments of a real understanding that things have to change. Personally, I call this the Covid Dividend—the gains we have earned—more experiences with our families, more moments just ‘being’, quality time with those closest to us and more control of our sometimes unruly blood sugars.
It’s important to recognize that this has been an incredibly challenging time for our community. Our fears are real, our insecurities are growing and the isolation still exists.
As we gather together but apart this holiday season, it’s more important than ever to realize that we are all uniquely connected. We will continue to to use technology to keep us connected, to reinvent ourselves, to challenge ourselves in new ways. We are having open and honest discussions with strangers online who have become our new friends. Yes, COVID-19 has taken from us, but we can also acknowledge that there is a COVID-19 Dividend, and how we chose to spend that dividend is up to us.
Remember YANA—you are not alone. We are here together as a community, the together type.
WATCH THE FILM:
Find more ways to get involved with the group behind the You Are Not Alone film and YANA Song here.
