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71. Amelia Wilkinson - living (and parenting) with Type 1 diabetes
Manage episode 519386048 series 2981270
Amelia Wilkinson: Living (and parenting) with Type 1 diabetes - beyond the data
Published on 14 November (World Diabetes Day), this conversation lifts the lid on what most of us miss about Type 1 diabetes - the mental load, the masking, and the trauma that doesn’t show up on a glucose graph.
Podcast host Gill Phillips talks with Amelia Wilkinson, diagnosed at 10 and now a mum, about growing up through school exclusions and assumptions.
Topics include why behaviour is communication, navigating a high-risk pregnancy, and the power - and limits - of technology.
Amelia calls for two big shifts: train the adults around children with Type 1 (teachers, carers, clinicians) to spot the emotional toll
AND separate Type 1 and Type 2 awareness, so misconceptions stop harming care.
🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs
🍋 Type 1 ≠ Type 2: why the confusion hurts
🍋 Grief for a ‘former self’ and the hidden mental health toll
🍋 School stories: control, freedom-seeking, and being labelled ‘naughty’
🍋 Pregnancy with Type 1: what it really took for Amelia to have her daughter
🍋 Masking, peer support, and life beyond the data
🍋 Don’t make assumptions – ask how the person is doing, including mental health
🍋 Train the grown-ups!
🍋 Separate the awareness days!
If you work with children and families- or love someone with Type 1 - this one’s for you.
Links
Type 1 Diabetes: The Comic Book Stories (courtesy of FAB Fab NHS Stuff)
Wild Card - Whose Shoes podcast with Aurora Thompson
💛 #WorldDiabetesDay #Type1Diabetes #NoHierarchyJustPeople #WhoseShoes #WildCard
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Chapters
1. World Diabetes Day: setting the scene Gill introduces the episode, explains the Whose Shoes? podcast, and sets the context for World Diabetes Day. (00:00:00)
2. Meet Amelia Amelia introduces herself and explains how she and Gill connected through Stephen Russell and his work with young people (00:02:08)
3. Trauma looks different Amelia describes how living with Type 1 diabetes from age 10 created hidden trauma that mirrored some experiences of children in care. (00:03:10)
4. Type 1 ≠ Type 2 Gill admits how little most people really understand about Type 1 and sets up the conversation to explore its impact on every part of life (00:05:30)
5. The grief no one sees Amelia explains the “grief for your former self” that follows diagnosis and how fear of complications shadows everyday life. (00:06:00)
6. School years: control, labels, revolt Amelia recalls being monitored and restricted at school, rebelling in search of freedom, and being seen as a “naughty” child. (00:09:30)
7. Behaviour is communication Gill and Amelia reflect on misunderstood behaviour, and how love and persistence from Amelia’s mum kept hope alive. (00:12:45)
8. The support gap: CAMHS & key adults No key person, no real mental health support - Amelia recalls pleas for help that went unheard and misconceptions that still persist. (00:15:30)
9. Masking and the mental load Diabetics look “normal,” Amelia explains, but behind the mask lies constant calculation, anxiety, and fear - rarely acknowledged by clinicians (00:19:50)
10. Tech helps—doesn’t fix New pumps and sensors are amazing, but the emotional connection between diabetes and mental health is still missing. (00:23:50)
11. Pregnancy with Type 1: the reality Amelia shares her intense pregnancy journey, the sickness cycles, and the relief of safely delivering her daughter, Cleo (00:27:40)
12. Safety: sugar or insulin? A near-miss story shows how misunderstood Type 1 can be - even by close friends - and why everyone needs basic knowledge. (00:31:50)
13. Power of peers: finding Natasha Amelia remembers diabetes camps, lasting friendships, and the importance of peer support and belonging (00:33:50)
14. Lemon lightbulb: train the grown-ups. Amelia’s first big takeaway- educate teachers, carers, and health staff about the emotional as well as physical sides of Type 1 (00:40:00)
15. Lemon lightbulb: separate awareness days Her final message - Type 1 and Type 2 need distinct awareness campaigns to end confusion and stigma once and for all (00:48:00)
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