Diabetes Outreach At the New York Auto Show

We’re bringing our dazzling approach to diabetes outreach to the New York International Auto Show in New York City. The New York International Auto Show is North America’s first and largest attended auto show, featuring 1,000 vehicles plus the latest in tech, safety, and innovation.

Play along with Mr. Divabetic and participants in Divabetic’s ‘Serve, Taste or Trash!’ Game. In the game, you’re given three choices of popular foods. You must decide which one you’d serve, which one you’d taste, and which one you’d trash. The game’s goal is to encourage people to become more open-minded eaters:

Mr. Divabetic wants to raise awareness of the precautions people living with diabetes should take before getting behind the wheel. Did you know that sudden bouts of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can lead to confusion, delayed reaction, visual disturbances, or loss of consciousness when driving? Even in the absence of low blood sugar, people with diabetes may have impaired vision or nerve function in the feet, which can affect driving. While most accidents related to diabetes complications happen to a small group of people with Type 1 diabetes who need to take insulin, people with Type 2 diabetes are also at risk.

Tune in to Divabetic’s free monthly podcasts hosted by Mr. Divabetic on blog talk radio. Divabetic’s dynamic free online and mobile podcast channel features live and archived programs and specials. Guests include healthcare collaborators, beauty, image/style, fitness experts, entertainment industry leaders, and VIPs: women and men living with, at risk of, and being affected by diabetes.

Join Divabetic’s Facebook page, follow Mr. Divabetic on Twitter, and learn more about sponsorship opportunities and event details.

31 Days of Divabetic Podcasts: Day Three

On our Divabetic Live! podcast from 2010, Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek and his team attempt to broadcast live from the American Diabetes Association Expo floor at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

Divabetic’s colorful, interactive, empowering and entertaining brand of diabetes education quickly took the Pittsburgh Expo floor by storm and garnered local media attention.

“Making a popular reappearance is Divabetics, an innovative program that combines pampering, music and games with diabetes education for women,” is how the Pittsburgh Patch described our Divabetic area on the Expo floor.

However, thiis behind the scenes look at one of the largest outreach events for people living with, at risk of and affected by diabetes quickly became a logistical nightmare. No one was prepared to juggle the chaos of a live scale outreach event with the needs of a live broadcast.

“Our Divabetic Live! podcast from the Pittsburgh ADA Expo floor is a ‘hot mess’! I felt like I was inside a pinball machine, running around the Expo floor, dodging people, and trying to find my team members to interview,” says Max Szadek. “But I loved every minute of it because there’s something magical in the madness. When I listen, I hear everyone’s willingness to take on a new challenge and work together as a team. And sadly, it reminds me that large outreach events of this magnitude no longer exist in the diabetes community. I get nostalgic when I tune in because I get to relive one of the many wonderful opportunities I experienced as a diabetes advocate over the past 17 years.”

“It’s a very out-of-the-box way to teach people about diabetes, but we want this to be a fun, energetic day where people learn more about the disease in an enjoyable way,” stated Terri Seidman in an interview with Western Pennsylvania Guide to Good Health. “We want to take diabetes education out of a clinical setting with white coats and put it into a nontraditional setting that people find motivating.”