Adam encourages those with type 2 diabetes to access digital education programmes
Adam Heyman-Heybyrne, 54, from Cwmbran in Monmouthshire.
Adam Heyman-Heybyrne, 54, from Cwmbran in Monmouthshire, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in August 2022, which came as a shock.
Adam is one of nearly 210,000 people in Wales who are living with type 2 diabetes. A further 580,000 residents are suspected of being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future*.
Since 2021, NHS Wales and Public Health Wales have commissioned Leicester Diabetes Centre (LDC) to offer its gold-standard digital diabetes education programmes to help and support the people of Wales to manage their diabetes.
‘MyDESMOND’ is for anyone with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. ‘Let’s Prevent Diabetes’ is for anyone at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Both interactive education programmes are online and free to access for anyone over 18 living in Wales.
Adam found it hard to process any information about his condition and asked his GP if they could help. Adam explains: “My appointed Diabetes Nurse at the GP surgery directed me to the MyDESMOND website where I was able to register.
“The learning sessions were very helpful in explaining what my condition is and measures I could use to help me regulate my glucose levels. I also found the challenges good motivation and enjoyed participating in the map challenges.
“I also gain quite a lot from the chat forums such as recommendations for books on various subjects around type 2 diabetes and love reading about other people's personal experiences.
“By following some of the advice in the MyDESMOND forums I was able to lower my blood sugar quite significantly to just above prediabetic levels.
“I would definitely recommend MyDESMOND. Not only does it have a wealth of knowledge on the subject, but you can also connect with others who are in a similar situation to you.”
Alison Northern, Implementation Lead for Leicester Diabetes Centre, said: “Our digital programmes continue to make a significant difference for so many people, like Adam. With over 50,000 users on our programmes, there is a great sense of community and peer support available for those registering for one of our programmes.
“We would encourage anyone living in Wales who has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or who has been identified at risk to sign up and become part of our online community.”
Dr Julia Platts, National Clinical Lead for Diabetes in Wales, added: “People with diabetes should have access to resources to live healthy lives. This includes resources to help prevention of diabetes when possible and resources to help diabetes into remission where possible. For those who live with diabetes, good early care is so important; this includes support for self-management, access to effective medication and early access to technologies that are proven to improve both physical outcomes and wellbeing.”
To request access, please visit www.mydesmond.wales if you have type 2 diabetes or www.letspreventdiabetes.wales if you are at risk or have a history of gestational diabetes.
If you are unsure if you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, we would recommend visiting https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk start and completing the risk score to find out.