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The people around you
What family, friends, coworkers, coaches and hosts need to know about type 1 — how to help in an emergency, and what not to say.
Type 1 diabetes is managed by one person, but it is lived alongside many others: partners, parents, siblings, roommates, friends, coworkers, coaches, teachers and hosts. What those people know — and what they say — makes a real difference to safety and to how heavy the daily work feels.
This section is for them, and for the person with type 1 who wants something to show them. It covers why an A1C is not a report card on effort, what everyone nearby should know to spot and treat a low, the sentences that do damage and what to say instead, the emotional weight of diabetes distress, and a short guide for coaches, teachers and hosts.
A plan nobody else knows about is not a plan. If you have type 1, consider showing the emergency pages to two people who are around you often — a partner, a roommate, a sibling, a coworker.
- What the people around you actually need to knowHow to spot a low, how to fix it, and when to call 911. A two-minute briefing for partners, family, roommates and coworkers.
- Not a report card: the words that help and the words that hurtAn A1C is not a verdict on effort. The sentences that do damage, what to say instead, and why judgement is a safety problem.
- Diabetes distress, burnout and disordered eatingThe emotional weight of type 1 is common, expected and treatable. What distress and burnout look like, and a specific risk worth naming gently.
- For coaches, teachers and hostsA short briefing for anyone who coaches, teaches, hosts or goes out with a person with type 1, with links to the full guidance.