Nursing Students Launch Diabetic Support Network on Campus
As freshmen in a first-year Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing student meeting, Sydney Allen, of Mascoutah, and Hannah Warfel, of Festus, Mo., noticed each other’s insulin pumps. The students connected over their type 1 diabetes (T1D) once the meeting was over, and now within months of beginning their collegiate journeys, they have launched the SIUE Chapter of the College Diabetes Network (CDN).
“After that meeting, Sydney and I created a group chat with a few other diabetics and started talking to them about starting CDN,” Warfel said. “I felt it would be a way for me to connect with other people that have the same circumstances and gain support from each other. We met up a couple of days later and went to the Kimmel Student Involvement Center to start a chapter at SIUE."
CDN was founded in 2009 by a student at the University of Massachusetts who felt isolated and struggled to manage her diabetes. The organization focuses on providing young adults with T1D with peer connections and expert resources to successfully manage the challenging transition to independence at college and beyond.
“I was motivated to start this club because I knew the transition to college would be difficult, let alone making the transition as a type one diabetic,” Allen said. “I learned about the CDN in high school and remembered the amazing tips they shared. I wanted to have this same kind of resource in place at our university. The CDN slogan is ‘on your own but never alone,’ and that is exactly what I want diabetics on campus to feel.”
Earlier this month, SIUE’s CDN members gathered to paint the rock on the Quad as a way to build awareness for National Diabetes Month as well as for the newly formed chapter. Faculty advisor Stacy Skelton, PhD, SON instructor and student success coordinator, expects the chapter will bring much-needed support for new SIUE students managing their diabetes alone for the first time, along with supporting the already established students who can share their experiences.
“I was surprised we did not already have a CDN chapter on campus and think it’s terrific that two freshmen are leading the cause,” Skelton said. “Syndey and Hannah have impressed me from the beginning with their dedication, determination, and work ethic to get this club started. I am excited to help them get it established.”
Connect with the club on Facebook, Instagram or by emailing siue@collegediabetesnetwork.org.
Photo: Members of the SIUE Chapter of the College Diabetes Network gather around the rock on campus, which they painted for World Diabetes Day.
