THE PALS TEACHING THOUSANDS HOW TO LIVE WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES
IT’S not just medical professionals who are nursing the nation’s health on TikTok, writes Lynne Wallis.
University students Beth McDaniel and Ellen Watson, both 20, from County
Down in Northern Ireland, began sharing upbeat videos about living with type 1 diabetes at the end of last year.
Soon, each clip was raking in thousands of views.
In one particularly popular video, the pair dance around, dressed for a night out.
But one thing sets them apart from other, typical students – the tiny, white patches attached to their upper arms, used to manage their type 1 diabetes.
The condition means the body doesn’t produce enough of the hormone insulin, causing high blood sugar levels.
The white patches are monitors, which can alert them if their blood sugar gets too low, which puts them at risk of potentially fatal collapse.
Their video has been watched 700,000 times, sparking conversation among curious viewers as to the function of the plastic stickers.
The pair, who met at school when they were five years old, now use their platform to raise awareness of the disease, posting under the user name @diabeticduo.
Clips feature the two women, who are studying at Ulster University, injecting insulin into their arms in public, and while doing unusual activities, such as hula-hooping. Beth says: ‘We want to change how people think about this disease.’
Ellen was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was six, after it was noticed that she was fatigued, thirsty and losing weight.
Beth was diagnosed last year. ‘It shouldn’t be something you have to hide away,’ says Beth. ‘We’re proud of our discs.’