November 11, 2024 Spill the Diabetea with Laura Syron

One of the things Laura Syron, president and CEO of Diabetes Canada, remembers about her diabetes diagnosis eight years ago was how distressing it felt. 

“There’s a reason there’s something called diabetes distress,” she says. “And I’m not sure that I have it, but I do know that there’s anxiety that comes along with a diagnosis that almost never goes away because diabetes will be with me forever.”

Laura was diagnosed with type 2 at age 50. “The thing that struck me at that exact moment when my doctor said, ‘You have diabetes,’ is that I didn’t know what that meant,” she says. 

No one in her family lived with the condition, and although Laura experienced common symptoms, such as fatigue and bouts of intense thirst, diabetes was the farthest thing from her mind. “There was a big gap of knowledge there, and of course, what came rushing in was fear and in my case, a lot of shame. I just thought: ‘I did this to myself. ’ ”

Reflecting on that time, Laura says,

It would have been immensely helpful for me personally if my doctor had said, ‘You need to know that it’s not your fault.’ 

For someone newly diagnosed, Laura offers this advice: Give yourself time to absorb and understand your diagnosis. Then start thinking, ‘What’s my plan?’ And, learn as much as you can. 

Today, Laura is making time to Spill the Diabetea and share what it’s like to live with diabetes as part of Diabetes Canada’s campaign to raise awareness, educate others on the daily realities of managing diabetes, and inspire change. 

Did you know? 

Every three minutes, someone in Canada is diagnosed with diabetes. This Diabetes Awareness Month, we want to hear from you whether, like Laura, you live with diabetes or you care for someone who does. Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram or X and share what life with the condition really looks like. Visit Let’s Make Time to Spill the Diabetea to get started.