Introduction our Sponsor Spotlight Series: Insulcheck

Thrive-abetes is proud to announce that we have 13 companies exhibiting at our event. We will publish the full list of our exhibitors and sponsors over the summer.

We also have some companies who who donated to Thrive-abetes and will have coupons for products included in our Delegate Welcome Packs.

This is the first installment of our "Sponsor Spotlight" series, which will continue over the summer.

Sponsor Spotlight: Insulcheck

The people responsible for Insulcheck are an Irish company based in NovaUCD , Belfield Innovation Park, Belfield , Dublin.

Insulcheck is a gadget that clips on to your insulin pen and records the time that you last took your insulin injection.

Thrive-abetes is very proud to have William, John and the team at Insulcheck as a supporter!

From Insulcheck's website:

"Like many genuine innovations, InsulCheck was born from personal experience. It was set up in 2009 by founders John Hughes and William Cirillo. John has Type 1 diabetes and is insulin-dependent. He suffered a hypoglycaemic event and was hospitalised because he double injected by mistake. As he negotiated his recovery, he began to think about how he can make sure he and fellow patients with diabetes would not find themselves in this position again. The concept was born there and then.

InsulCheck removes the doubt for insulin pen users while offering their care team an extra level of security as their patients deal with their complex condition. Using a simple, light, add-on that clips to their existing pen, the time since the last injection is recorded on a digital display. People with diabetes and their families now have peace-of-mind like never before.

Innovation Zed Ltd. (trading as InsulCheck) is a company registered in the Republic of Ireland. It is based in the Learning and Innovation Centre at the Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown, Dublin."


Insulcheck have a website and a facebook page where you can find their contact details or order your very own Insulcheck.

Registration here for Thrive-abetes.

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie). Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all delegates.

Thrive-abetes aims to provide delegates with "information, motivation and inspiration".

Why do I need Thrive-abetes to take place?

by Gráinne Flynn.

I have realised that I have asked others to write about why they want to attend Thrive-abetes but have not give my own version.

To rectify this here's my sales pitch (let's call a spade a spade:-)

I lived approximately seven years winging it with my type 1 diabetes - I wasn't trying to wing it. I just didn't have a clue what I was doing, or why!

As a result, these days, I crave knowledge about Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)! I know that no matter how much I already know about T1D, there is always more to learn. I also love to hear other people's diabetes stories.

My name is Grainne and my Type 1 Diabetes was diagnosed in 1993. When I stopped winging it with my diabetes management, I managed my Type 1 diabetes with multiple (sometimes up to 6 times) daily injections until 2010 when I started on an insulin pump.

I made that decision by reading other people's' reviews and all the research around how they work and why others were choosing them in large numbers in America. I realised then that one of the best sources of information about T1D management was other people's experiences and reputable websites.

Our healthcare professionals are wonderful but they're so busy taking care of patients day to day that they don't have the time to keep up to date with the latest research. That's why we, the people with type 1 diabetes have to make sure that we find all the information we need and take it to them.

How much information can you imagine would be contained in one room of one hundred people with diabetes at the Thrive-abetes conference?

And there will be a second room with another one hundred people! LOOOOOAAAAAADS!!!

Of course I want to be part of that!

Myself and some of my peeps
from the Clare T1D group.

Thrive-abetes aims to provide delegates with "information, motivation and inspiration" to thrive with type 1 diabetes.

You can register for Thrive-abetes here.

Registration for Thrive-abetes is open!

Finally!! Registration for Thrive-abetes is open. 

However, before you buy your tickets for this conference, take a moment to read through "Who should attend Thrive-abetes?"

Who Should Attend Thrive-abetes?

The Thrive-abetes; Thrive with Type 1 Diabetes Conference is for:

- Adults living with Type 1 diabetes or Type 1.5 Diabetes, also known as LADA (Latent autoimmune diabetes of adults). 

- Partners, Spouses and Significant Others of Adults with type 1 and 1.5 are welcome to attend Thrive-abetes also. They should buy their ticket for the programme they wish to attend. 

- Parents or Guardians of a child or young person with type 1 diabetes.
It is with a heavy heart that we recommend that you to leave your child with diabetes at home, if you can. Please see this post for why we decided this.

Ticket Price.

Tickets for Thrive-abetes cost €35 each, or €60 for two tickets (this includes the administration fee from Eventbrite.ie) and can be purchased here. 

Another GREAT speaker for Thrive-abetes: Dr. Clare McVicker from JDRF

It is with great pleasure that we announce confirmation of the fifth speaker at the Thrive-abetes conference.

Dr. Clare McVicker is the Director of Research Advocacy, at the type 1 diabetes research charity, JDRF in the United Kingdom. JDRF is the world’s leading charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research and its vision is a world without type 1 diabetes.

Dr. McVicker works to increase and further strengthen type 1 diabetes research by raising awareness of the condition and the profile of JDRF in the wider UK research community.

The JDRF UK is partnered with Diabetes Ireland Research Alliance (DIRA), which is a subsidiary branch of Diabetes Ireland.

Clare said: “I am really pleased to be part of this fantastic event and to represent our successful DIRA/JDRF partnership.  We are at an exciting time for research into type 1 diabetes, with many recent advances and breakthroughs, and therefore, I look forward to highlighting many of these at the conference'.

She added: “The cure for type 1 diabetes will be found. It’s just a question of time, money, and great research. Finding this cure could act as a skeleton key – unlocking ways to prevent and cure a range of other autoimmune conditions.”

Welcome Dr. Clare! You can find out more about Dr. McVicker here.

Are you a Winner in our Thrive-abetes Raffle?

We held our Thrive-abetes Fundraiser raffle on Saturday evening, May 30th, in The Grove Bar & Restaurant, Roslevan, Ennis, Co. Clare.

1st Prize of the signed 2014 Six Nations Ireland Rugby shirt goes to; 

Mairead Lynch, Clogher Head, Co. Louth 

Ticket No. 0075. We wish Mairead the very best of luck in her exams.

2nd Prize of Two nights B&B in Friar's Lodge Guest House, Kinsale, Co. Cork goes to;

Natasha Holohan 

Ticket No. 0341

Contact us Natasha so we can send you your prize!

3rd Prize of Two nights B&B in Friar's Lodge Guest House, Kinsale, Co. Cork goes to;

Daniel Hartnett, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick.

Ticket No. 0358.

4th Prize of the €60 Ticketmaster Voucher goes to;

Kate O'Donnell, Hospital, Co. Limerick. 

Ticket No. 0142

Congratulations to all our winners! And thanks to everyone who supported Thrive-abetes by buying a raffle ticket. 

Thanks also to our prize sponsors; DiabetesTone.com, Maureen Tierney of Friar's Lodge Guest House, and to Elissa Cassidy in Ticketmaster.ie