People with Diabetes

More than 9 million Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes - meet the people behind the numbers

Dawn Gallant - Mount Pearl, NL

Working in the healthcare profession as a nurse, Dawn Gallant is very familiar with diabetes and its serious complications. However, when her nine-year-old daughter Kelly was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1997, the disease became more personal.

“After Kelly was discharged from the hospital, I immediately went to the Canadian Diabetes Association because I wanted more information,” explains Dawn. “Just because I’m a nurse, I didn’t make the assumption that I know everything.”

One year after Kelly’s diagnosis, Dawn attended Newfoundland’s Camp Douwanna as the camp nurse. It was at camp that she discovered something about herself that she never anticipated.

“The camp dietitian and I were checking the meters and I tested my blood sugar; the result was 15,” she recalls. After testing her blood glucose several more times, Dawn was surprised by the results.

“I spent the last year focusing completely on my daughter’s health and I never even thought I could also have diabetes,” she says. In disbelief, she returned from camp and received official diagnosis of her type 2 diabetes.

Dawn continues to manage her diabetes through oral medication and physical activity. “I’ve been going to Aquafit three times a week, I watch for complications and I follow the Association’s Clinical Practice Guidelines.”

Dawn and her entire family continue to play a critical role in helping lead the fight against diabetes. They received the Association’s Regional Volunteer of the Year Award as a result of their amazing achievement of raising almost $75,000 at the annual St. John’s Regatta over the past 10 years.

“I’m motivated to be involved because it helps me cope as an individual and family living with diabetes,” explains Dawn. “Volunteering and meeting people who face the same challenges that I do offers a support and allows me the opportunity to see others who live very healthy lives with their disease.”