Lurina Fourie lives with Type 1 diabetes and in her quest of advocating diabetes awareness, she has created a fun educational game. She tells us more.

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Lurina Fourie (41) lives in Velddrif, Western Cape with her husband, Steyn. She has two step children from Steyn’s previous marriage.

Diagnosis

In 2000, Lurina was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 16. She recalls, “I got home from school one afternoon and I was exhausted. It was hot, and we were doing athletics at school, so my parents thought I was tired and facing burnout. As I walked into the house, I went straight to my bed and had no energy to get up again.”

“I had no appetite; my mom made all my favourite foods, but I couldn’t stomach it. The thirst was unquenchable, and I craved granadilla juice all the time. I was sleeping, drinking juice, and running to the toilet; that was all I was doing. In those four days, I lost 6kg.”

Lurina’s parents took her to the doctor and her blood glucose was checked, which was sitting at 28.8mmol\L. She was immediately taken to the hospital but adds everything was a blur, she only remembers vomiting and waking up in ICU.

Treatment and management

Two types of insulin were prescribed. She explains, “I had to use a sliding scale: so, if my blood glucose was 0 – 4, I had to take a certain amounts of units. If it was 4.1 – 8, I had to take a different dosage, etc.”

“My honeymoon phase lasted eight months. Those first months were tough because I had to deal with the diagnosis and a new life. The moment I settled in and things started to feel more manageable, the honeymoon phase was over, and my insulin had to be adjusted, which meant more daily injections and a new-new way of managing my diabetes. It felt like a whole new diagnosis.”

“When I was diagnosed I had to take two insulin injections per day and then it became three, and then four and eventually five, and it’s still like that. I had been using insulin lispro and insulin isophane for many years, and recently switched to insulin glulisine and insulin glargine.”

Choosing to be a diabetes advocate

Since Lurina was living with diabetes, it was an easy transition into becoming a motivated diabetes advocate. It was during an online advocacy course, presented by SA Diabetes Advocacy, where she came up with the idea of a game that would help spread awareness of diabetes.

“I have a creative mind and always looking for fun ways to share information, and the quacker game popped into my mind. It was a silly thought, so I made a really mediocre version of it to show during the advocacy course. It stayed on my desk for weeks and every time, I looked at it, it sparked something inside me, and I decided to design it properly and put it to good use.”

Lurina’s diabetes quacker game 

Lurina goes on to explain, “The game is based on the age-old paper quacker that we grew up with in school, where we’d write the names of all the boys we liked on the inside and then by picking different colours and numbers, you’d end up on a final block and that would reveal the name of your future husband. I used the same concept, but all the info is based on Type 1 diabetes, and the warning signs of low blood glucose specifically.”

Lurina found that her game was a good way to interact with children during educational talks at primary schools. “When I do talk in a classroom, I have a giant version of the game. It’s like taking your puppy to school, everyone wants to touch it or play with it.”

Another version of the game has been created, focusing on the warning signs of diabetes, which Lurina uses during wellness talks, where Type 2 diabetes is more common. She uses both games during academic talks with healthcare professionals.

After each educational session, whether at a school or hospital, every person in the audience receives a hand-size version of the game.

“It’s a toy, but it’s a tool, some call it a game, I call it a game changer. I really believe it can change the way people respond towards diabetes. I have received great testimonies and it makes my heart so happy,” Lurina says.

Advocacy in SA

When asked if she has plans of mass producing this game, she responds, “Yes, that would be wonderful. The game has a lot of potential. However, at the moment funding is a problem, as I’m doing everything from my own pocket and because of that, the project is growing slower than what the current demand is. I have a long list of parents begging me to visit their kid’s schools and it’s sad to not be able to do that.”

She adds, “Unfortunately in South Africa, advocacy is seen as volunteer work. I want to be a full-time diabetes advocate, but I still need to eat and pay my bills. Hours and hours of work go into advocacy, and it can be demotivating to see doors close when you were really hoping for funding or support. But Type 1 diabetes has taught me resilience, not only in managing the condition, but also in everyday life, so I’ll keep on keeping on. My mind has been trained to do it for 24 years and I know I’ll be victorious, even if it looks different from what I anticipated.”

The ultimate goal 

Lurina loves educating people about diabetes, whether they live with diabetes or not. “If the game can help crush stigma and bring diabetes awareness and education to crowds who would never have paid attention to the realities that many of us live with, think of the amazing ripple effect it could bring,” she says.

“The beauty of the game is that it creates curiosity. When you have it in your hand, you want to play with it. And those who sees it, also want to play with it, or they at least want to know what it is. So, when I speak at schools and each kid gets a game, they start playing with it in the classroom, it infiltrates to the playground. They take it home and play it with their siblings or parents, and in fun way, information is shared into a much wider community.”

The ultimate goal for Lurina is for this game to be available in all hospitals, for the newly diagnosed kids to learn about diabetes in a more digestible way.

To find out more about Lurina’s advocacy, visit The Glucose Glitch

Images supplied

Aldrin Munnick shares his Type 2 diabetes journey and how after having COVID, he endured a stroke. Despite this, he is still going strong.

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Aldrin Munnick (55) lives in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape with his wife, Fiona. They have one daughter, Danielle.

Aldrin recalls being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 22 years ago. He explains, “I wasn’t feeling well at home, so I drove myself to the casualty section of a provincial hospital, thinking I might be having cardiac issues since I’m a known cardiac patient. After conducting some tests, the doctors discovered an imbalance in my blood glucose levels. They were surprised to learn that I had driven myself to the hospital. When I woke up, I saw my wife and brother, Joseph, standing next to my bed. Following all the necessary tests, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. My symptoms included excessive sweating, fatigue, and a very dry mouth.”

Aldrin was prescribed metformin hydrochloride and glimepiride. He also started walking and exercising as well as changed his diet. “I cut down on junk food and pastries and added more greenery to my meals. I also cut down on my sugar intake,” he says.

DSA Springdale Support Group

It was Aldrin’s sisters, Avrille Munnick, Glynis Hearne and Sharlene Davids, who introduced him to the DSA Springdale Support Group. He found that joining this support group help him in many ways.

He explains, “The guidance and advice from the different speakers have helped a lot. The group has created a lot of awareness as we share our stories and experiences with each other.”

COVID causes more health issues

After Aldrin had COVID, he unfortunately had a stroke. He was then put on semaglutide, along with metformin hydrochloride twice daily (1000mg), as well kidney medication as his kidneys weren’t functioning at optimal level. At this time, his blood glucose levels were in the high 20s.

“Since the stroke, I had to minimise my walking and exercise routine but do what I can,” he adds. Yet, he is very much looking forward to the nice weather that comes in spring.

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