Maia's Journey To Make A Difference

Right now there are 1.25 million people, in America alone, balancing their own chance at life with Type 1 Diabetes every day—I am one of them. There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease where a person’s pancreas stops doing its job and producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts food into energy. Without insulin humans cannot survive. Type 2 Diabetes is a different condition where a person’s body still produces insulin, but the body is not making use of the insulin, also known as insulin resistance. Type 2 is the most common, and can often be managed with improvements in diet and exercise regimens.

Type 1, however, is an autoimmune disease that is not preventable and can not be cured. It is extremely difficult transitioning from a free life to one fully dependent on medicine. My name is Maia Bickert and I was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe. I was following a path to make a career of competitive ski racing when my strength and results began to suffer. What seemed like a few minor health issues turned into a life altering diagnosis. Living with Type 1 Diabetes means pricking your finger 8 or more times a day to check your blood sugar. It means giving yourself multiple daily insulin injections or infusing a constant drip of insulin through a machine that you wear all day, every day. It means carefully calculating dosages, careful not to give yourself too much or too little because both could be deadly. I am my own doctor, and each day is a balancing act.

I am very fortunate to be a part of such a supportive community. It has taken me a year to come to terms with this disease; but support from friends, family, and community members has helped immensely. Going forward, I want to help others better manage it. This summer I am volunteering with a §501(c)3 charitable organization called AYUDA or, “American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad”. At the end of July I will be traveling to the Dominican Republic to help host educational workshops for kids and young adults living with diabetes. One of AYUDA’s mantras is “A lack of education is as dangerous as a lack of insulin”. AYUDA was founded in reaction to seeing children with diabetes who had access to insulin and medical treatment, but still suffered complications and early death because they did know how to manage their condition. Our hope is to change this. Type 1 Diabetics around the world are my heroes for silently fighting every day, and the most powerful thing we can do is support each other until we discover a cure.

Join my journey to make a difference at Elevate Wellness on July 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We will have donation based acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic treatments, along with nutritional and herbal consultations. All proceeds and 10% of product sales will be donated to AYUDA on behalf of my volunteer work.

Appointments recommended and walk-ins welcome. Please call Elevate Wellness at (530)-541-WELL (9355).

Community health for global health.
¡Juntos Somos Más Fuertes!
Together We Are Stronger!

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