I’m a mom to six-year-old twin boys, balancing motherhood, my studies, and my advocacy. I believe, as I often say, “There is nothing I cannot do, I just have to check my blood sugar first.” This sentiment fuels my mission and work every day. As someone who lives with Type 1 Diabetes, reflecting upon my own experience and hearing the stories of others like me, has made me deeply passionate about advocating for greater awareness and compassion for those with Diabetes and education for those in the general public.
With diabetes affecting over 38 million Americans, and nearly 1.4 million new diagnoses each year, it’s vital for communities to have resources that foster hope, understanding, and positivity, especially for young people and families facing diabetes. Those living with diabetes often feel shame because popular misunderstandings about the disease lead people to blame those with Diabetes for being lazy, lacking will power to control their eating habits, or uneducated about proper nutrition. In addition, these social stigmas can lead to very real exclusion and discrimination as those with Diabetes refrain from participation in social activities for fear of being judged or are overlooked for employment or job promotion based on misconceptions about their health status. Knowing also that these kinds of stigmas, when coupled with the very real institutionalized barriers that poor, Black, and Brown people face to accessing preventive and maintenance healthcare, lead to even more harm and greater life-threatening complications for people in those communities, it’s well past time for us to create new and true narratives about life with Diabetes.
Currently, there are few, if any, children’s books in the library catalog that reflect the diversity and resilience of kids managing diabetes. I wrote these two children’s books, I Will Take Care of My Diabetes and I Can and ABCs for Diabetes, with the aim of helping children (and anyone, really!) grasp what it means to live well with diabetes in a way that’s both empowering and accessible. I want everyone to fully see and embrace those who might be struggling to feel welcomed, supported, and accepted, merely because their body doesn’t process insulin in a particular way. I believe these books can serve as an invaluable tool for fostering empathy within the broader community.
ABCs for Diabetes- https://www.amazon.com/ABCs-Diabetes-Safiyah-Basir/dp/B0D2H9LC4M
I Will Take Care of My Diabetes and I Can – https://www.amazon.com/Will-Take-Care-Diabetes-Can/dp/B0CZHD9H49
Safiyah is actively involved with the American Diabetes Association as an ambassador, working with Breakthrough T1D, and volunteers at children’s diabetes camps. She is a certified health and wellness coach with the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program and is currently studying to become a physician assistant with a focus on endocrinology. Her goal is to show people that living a limitless life with diabetes is possible, which is a central theme of her podcast, Diabetic Loving.
