Milan Moala - a force of nature

Aucklander Milan Moala (Ngāti Māhanga Hourua, Ngāti Paoa) is a force of nature.

In the Spring edition of Wellness, read about Milan Moala who has more than a few strings to his bow: kapa haka, waka ama and a slam poet.

Milan’s love of kapa haka has taken him and Ngā Oho to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as ASB Polyfest. Milan, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years ago, says he has to eat a lot over the weeks of kapa haka practices, continually making sure he doesn’t go low. Milan wears both a CGM and a pump, proudly displaying them when in performance attire.

Milan casually slips into the kōrero that he is also a poet. And that he wrote a poem on diabetes that he took to a trans-Tasman competition last year. And that he won.

Both Milan and his younger brother, Lagitupu, were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the same year, just a few months apart from each other. First, Milan felt a change in his body and says one day he nearly fainted. This alerted their mother, Tara’s suspicions, and she asked their family GP to test Milan’s blood sugar. Then, three months later, Lagitupu fainted at school, and Tara was flummoxed. ‘I thought, surely not. It’s only been three months. Then Milan said, “Let’s finger-prick him,” and it came back high. He was very close to getting into a ketone state.’

While raising two children with type 1 diabetes can be a stressful occupation, Tara is thankful for the technology and the freedom and autonomy it allows. ‘Neither of the boys could be doing their kapa haka, waka ama, rugby, or sport without them.

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The full article featuring Milan is published in the Spring 2024 issue of Diabetes Wellness magazine, available both in print and online.  Sign up to receive a copy.