Community
West Auckland designer and illustrator Janina Gaudin uses her skills to support the diabetes community here and internationally. Katie Doyle caught up with her.
CREATING FOR GOOD 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 type 1 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
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DIABETES WELLNESS | Summer 2020
Janina Gaudin
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.
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
