Creating for good
West Auckland designer and illustrator Janina Gaudin uses her skills to support the diabetes community here and internationally. Katie Doyle caught up with her.
Katie: Thanks for talking with us, Janina. How's life?
Janina: My life at the moment really revolves around creating art! Currently, I’m doing artwork for the Beta Cell Foundation, which is a US-based non-profit that funds grassroots projects developed and run by individuals living with type1 diabetes. I think it’s important to focus on supporting individuals in living their best lives right now with diabetes. I feel incredibly lucky to be living in New Zealand during this global pandemic. When you’re living with an autoimmune disease, you always think of the worst-case scenario, but over time I’ve relaxed a lot more, and things are starting to get back to normal. Because our “team of five million” went hard for those months during lockdown, it means that I now have more freedom. If I’m not creating art, I like to hang out with family and friends, explore West Auckland beaches, and visit art galleries and craft markets.
Katie: What was your type 1 diagnosis like?
Janina: Twenty-six years ago, I was diagnosed at age 13. I actually “diagnosed” myself, because at that time I happened to be reading The Babysitters Club books. The character Stacey was describing her type 1 diagnosis, and I recognised all her symptoms as my own: I was tired, thirsty, and losing a lot of weight. My mum, although she was worried, thought diabetes only happened to older people. But sure enough, our family doctor tested my blood sugar, which was 18 mmol/L. A blood test later in the week confirmed my diagnosis. I remembered being quite proud of the fact that I’d diagnosed myself, although my mum was so shocked and upset. Today, I have a good relationship with my diabetes nurse and endocrinologist, who I see once per year and can contact any time if I have problems.
Katie: When did you first start to channel your creativity into a way to express your feelings about diabetes?
Janina: I have a degree in architecture, but after seven years in Melbourne I made the hard decision to come home to New Zealand to pursue illustration. In 2016, I started an Instagram account and website to document my life with type 1 because my diabetes nurse told me there were a lot of young people with diabetes in the community that were feeling down about living with this chronic disease. I’d been there myself, and I wanted to find ways to uplift them and assure them that they’re never alone. My illustrations and comics explain “invisible” life with diabetes, poking fun at certain challenges while ultimately revealing a serious chronic condition. I get a lot of messages from people with type 1 telling me my comics are relatable and make them feel less alone. Even loved ones have written to me about realising what their family member or partner goes through on a daily basis. I’m happy to help brighten someone’s day.
Janina's artwork is presented to Bernie Sanders.
Katie: How did you first get involved in the online diabetes community?
Janina: It started when I saw that those living with type 1 in the United States were rationing insulin because they couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t believe it! Here in New Zealand, three months of insulin can cost five dollars. In the US, the price for one vial was around USD $300 – about$450 NZ dollars. In January 2019, I saw that a group of people from the US with type 1 went to Mexico to get insulin. That was when I knew I wanted to advocate for affordable insulin through my comics, starting with a comic about their trip. A few months later, I saw that Senator Bernie Sanders was going with another group to Canada to build awareness of the US diabetes crisis. Two amazing advocates for affordable insulin saw my comic and asked if they could frame the artwork and give it to Bernie. Of course, I said yes. It was very surreal and also a huge turning point for me to realise that not only could I uplift people living with diabetes with my artwork but I could also use it to help raise awareness about serious issues affecting our global community.
T1 International is a global non-profit that started the#insulin4all campaign with other organisations in 2014. Today, #insulin4all raises awareness around the most urgent diabetes issues. “Many people living with type 1 diabetes struggle to survive because they cannot afford or access their life-saving insulin, blood glucose strips, or basic healthcare,” founder and Executive Director Elizabeth Pfiester says. “This is about human rights. Every single person with diabetes deserves to live a full life.
Katie: How have you overcome some of the challenges of living with diabetes that you’ve faced?
Janina: I experienced burnout a few years into living with diabetes. I remember feeling quite overwhelmed and tired of trying to manage a seemingly unpredictable condition that just wouldn’t fit into teenage life. It seemed like anything I wanted to do, my blood sugar would be impacted. I was just so tired and frustrated that I wanted to ignore it. That didn’t end up going so well for me!
To get through burnout, I had to train myself to focus on the positive impact of doing things to manage my diabetes, so, rather than focus on what each individual blood sugar reading was, my achievements were the act of testing it, creating a more positive relationship with my diabetes. I would also balance these “mental calculations” and doing other things in my life so it didn’t feel like diabetes was running my life.
Eventually, I started to see patterns, and I established ways to problem solve the challenges that life with diabetes brings, which made me feel much happier and able to live life how I wanted to. My advice for others would be to take it one day at a time, be kind to yourself, and remember that your blood sugar reading isn’t a reflection of who you are as a person.
Follow Janina on Instagram: instagram. com/missdiabetes #INSULIN4ALL
Visit www. t1international.com to learn more, get involved in the global movement, and to check out a video Janina recently created: Change Through Community.