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Wild Card - Whose Shoes?
71. Amelia Wilkinson - living (and parenting) with Type 1 diabetes
Gill Phillips @WhoseShoes • Entrepreneurship, Business, Education
Gill Phillips @WhoseShoes • Entrepreneurship, Business, Education
Safety: sugar or insulin? A near-miss story shows how misunderstood Type 1 can be - even by close friends - and why everyone needs basic knowledge.

Episode Summary

Amelia Wilkinson: Living (and parenting) with Type 1 diabetes - beyond the dataPublished on 14 November (World Diabetes Day), this conversation lifts the lid on what most of us miss about Type 1 diabetes - the mental load, the masking, and the trauma that doesn’t show up on a glucose graph.Podcast host Gill Phillips talks with Amelia Wilkinson, diagnosed at 10 and now a mum, about growing up through school exclusions and assumptions. Topics include why behaviour is communication, navigating a high-risk pregnancy, and the power - and limits - of technology. Amelia calls for two big shifts: train the adults around children with Type 1 (teachers, carers, clinicians) to spot the emotional tollAND separate Type 1 and Type 2 awareness, so misconceptions stop harming care.🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs🍋 Type 1 ≠ Type 2: why the confusion hurts🍋 Grief for a ‘former self’ and the hidden mental health toll🍋 School stories: control, freedom-seeking, and being labelled ‘naughty’🍋 Pregnancy with Type 1: what it really took for Amelia to have her daughter🍋 Masking, peer support, and life beyond the data🍋 Don’t make assumptions – ask how the person is doing, including mental health🍋 Train the grown-ups!🍋 Separate the awareness days!If you work with children and families- or love someone with Type 1 - this one’s for you.LinksType 1 Diabetes: The Comic Book Stories (courtesy of FAB Fab NHS Stuff)World Diabetes DayOverview of Whose ShoesWild Card - Whose Shoes podcast with Aurora Thompson💛 #WorldDiabetesDay #Type1Diabetes #NoHierarchyJustPeople #WhoseShoes #WildCardWe LOVE it when you leave a review!If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations usefulplease share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.
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Transcript

Chapters

  • World Diabetes Day: setting the scene Gill introduces the episode, explains the Whose Shoes? podcast, and sets the context for World Diabetes Day.
  • Meet Amelia Amelia introduces herself and explains how she and Gill connected through Stephen Russell and his work with young people
  • Trauma looks different Amelia describes how living with Type 1 diabetes from age 10 created hidden trauma that mirrored some experiences of children in care.
  • Type 1 ≠ Type 2 Gill admits how little most people really understand about Type 1 and sets up the conversation to explore its impact on every part of life
  • The grief no one sees Amelia explains the “grief for your former self” that follows diagnosis and how fear of complications shadows everyday life.
  • School years: control, labels, revolt Amelia recalls being monitored and restricted at school, rebelling in search of freedom, and being seen as a “naughty” child.
  • Behaviour is communication Gill and Amelia reflect on misunderstood behaviour, and how love and persistence from Amelia’s mum kept hope alive.
  • The support gap: CAMHS & key adults No key person, no real mental health support - Amelia recalls pleas for help that went unheard and misconceptions that still persist.
  • Masking and the mental load Diabetics look “normal,” Amelia explains, but behind the mask lies constant calculation, anxiety, and fear - rarely acknowledged by clinicians
  • Tech helps—doesn’t fix New pumps and sensors are amazing, but the emotional connection between diabetes and mental health is still missing.
  • Pregnancy with Type 1: the reality Amelia shares her intense pregnancy journey, the sickness cycles, and the relief of safely delivering her daughter, Cleo
  • Safety: sugar or insulin? A near-miss story shows how misunderstood Type 1 can be - even by close friends - and why everyone needs basic knowledge.
  • Power of peers: finding Natasha Amelia remembers diabetes camps, lasting friendships, and the importance of peer support and belonging
  • Lemon lightbulb: train the grown-ups. Amelia’s first big takeaway- educate teachers, carers, and health staff about the emotional as well as physical sides of Type 1
  • Lemon lightbulb: separate awareness days Her final message - Type 1 and Type 2 need distinct awareness campaigns to end confusion and stigma once and for all

    • Clips

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