DiabetesSangha

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DiabetesSangha Diabetes Sangha is a mindfulness community for people living with Type 1 diabetes.

We offer live weekly meditations, workshops, and retreats created by and for T1Ds. A space to pause, reflect, and practice alongside people who truly understand.

Introducing our next Community Spotlight, Giann! ✨If you have not yet had the pleasure of sitting with Giann during an o...
09/29/2026

Introducing our next Community Spotlight, Giann! ✨

If you have not yet had the pleasure of sitting with Giann during an online meditation or meeting her at one of our in person retreats, we are excited to introduce her.

Giann hails from the Deep South, having lived in Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee, and now calls Birmingham, Alabama home. She joined Diabetes Sangha in 2021 with no prior meditation experience and has since found the practice to be an important part of both her spiritual life and her experience living with diabetes.

As a Protestant Christian, Giann shares that meditation has deepened her relationship with God in ways she never anticipated. Beyond the physiological and mental benefits of meditation, the practice has helped her quiet her mind, listen more deeply, and feel a greater sense of spiritual connection.

Giann also recently celebrated an exciting milestone, earning her Master’s in Social Work in May 2025 and passing her licensure exam. Looking ahead, she hopes to become a certified diabetes educator and pursue her clinical social work licensure, with the goal of bringing diabetes education and therapeutic support together in her career.

Outside of her professional goals and meditation practice, Giann enjoys reading, baking, spending time with friends, and, of course, a little reality TV.

Giann is looking forward to connecting with more of the Sangha at our in person meditation retreat this October. You can also find her on Instagram at Giann | T1D 8 years | AL.

We are so grateful to have Giann as part of the Diabetes Sangha community and to share a little more of her story with you.

Up next in our Community Spotlight series, meet Deniz Verburg! Deniz Verburg Deniz found DiabetesSangha after an unexpec...
09/28/2026

Up next in our Community Spotlight series, meet Deniz Verburg! Deniz Verburg

Deniz found DiabetesSangha after an unexpected experience at a meditation retreat this summer. When their insulin pump and sensor caused concern among some participants, a nurse stepped in to reassure everyone. Although the retreat was still a positive experience, it left Deniz wondering how to better bring together two important parts of life: diabetes and meditation.

While searching online afterward, an AI assistant suggested DiabetesSangha. Deniz remembers thinking, “Really? Does that exist?” Two months later, Deniz has become a regular presence at our Zoom gatherings and describes bringing the worlds of diabetes and Sangha together as feeling “almost like a magic spell.”

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1993 while living in Cyprus, Deniz co-founded a diabetes association there at a time when support was limited. Later, while living in Amsterdam, Deniz worked in diabetes education before joining the government child protection office.

Meditation has also been part of Deniz’s life since around 2008, including retreats in India where managing T1D was often done quietly and independently. While grateful for today’s diabetes technology, Deniz has found that its increased visibility can sometimes make group spaces more complicated. Finding DiabetesSangha has offered a new way to bring these experiences together.

This year, Deniz also began creating diabetes comics, finding both joy and a lesson in letting go of perfection through the process. You can find the comics at t1dcomics.com and on Instagram at Deniz Verburg.

Deniz lives in the Netherlands and is looking forward to joining the fall retreat and visiting New York City for the first time, hopefully making it safely from the airport to the retreat and, most importantly, the snack table!

We’re so grateful Deniz found this community and excited to introduce you to another member of our Sangha. 💜

Community Member Spotlight: Robert Ferguson! ✨Robert Ferguson is an artist based in Accord, New York, whose work is root...
09/24/2026

Community Member Spotlight: Robert Ferguson! ✨

Robert Ferguson is an artist based in Accord, New York, whose work is rooted in an ongoing response to the natural world around him.

Trained in art history, Ferguson began his career as a curator and museum administrator before moving into nonprofit management and fundraising. Throughout those years, he maintained an art practice as a way to sustain a creative life. Over time, that practice became his primary focus, and he now works from his studio in the Hudson Valley.

The rural landscape surrounding his studio has become both a principal source of inspiration and, at times, a source of material itself. His work reflects an aesthetic and emotional response to his immediate environment, exploring the textures, rhythms, and impressions of the natural world.

Ferguson’s work has been exhibited throughout New York and beyond, including recent solo and group exhibitions at Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz, D.R.A.W. Gallery in Kingston, Artifact Projects in New York City, and Envision Art Gallery in Houston. His work has also been shown at the Art Students League of New York, Atlantic Gallery, Catalyst Gallery, and other venues.

Our Community Member Spotlight is Bob Parant from New York! ✨Bob Parant recently received his 50-Year Joslin Medal for l...
09/23/2026

Our Community Member Spotlight is Bob Parant from New York! ✨

Bob Parant recently received his 50-Year Joslin Medal for living with Type 1 Diabetes — a milestone that has given him space to reflect on everything his body and mind have carried over the years.

After decades of navigating T1D, serious complications, and the stigma that can come with diabetes, Bob realized he had spent years pushing difficult emotions aside. That began to shift when Peter Friedfeld introduced him to Diabetes Sangha.

Bob came to meditation with no expectations, but quickly found that the practice created space for both calm and long-buried feelings. One of the most meaningful experiences was being able to speak openly about losing his leg and the hurt caused by comments suggesting he “didn’t take care of himself.”
Being met with understanding instead of judgment brought an unexpected sense of relief.

Today, Bob is a dedicated member of the Sangha and has found breathing and mindfulness to be powerful tools in his daily life.

“My advice to anyone new: just try a few sessions and see how it feels. The Sangha is one of the most wonderful T1D communities I have engaged with.”

Bob is also a longtime T1D advocate who has traveled to Washington, D.C. numerous times on behalf of the diabetes community and continues to support diabetes research through fundraising.

🚴 Riding for a Cure
Over the past four years, Team DiabetesSangha has raised more than $70,000 for the Diabetes Research Institute.

This year’s DRI Walk, Run, Ride takes place September 27 at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford, NY. Bob will be participating with Team Parant in support of diabetes research.

Support Bob and Team Parant through the link in our bio!

Join us for a special evening of Remote Reiki with Lucia Maya on September 27 at 7 PM EST.Lucia will lead the Diabetes S...
09/23/2026

Join us for a special evening of Remote Reiki with Lucia Maya on September 27 at 7 PM EST.

Lucia will lead the Diabetes Sangha community through a gentle virtual Reiki session designed to create space for rest, grounding, and connection. It’s an opportunity to slow down, settle into the body, and simply receive from wherever you are.
No prior Reiki experience is needed. Find a comfortable place, bring an open mind, and join us for an evening of shared practice and restoration.

Mark your calendars: September 27 at 7 PM EST.

Join us in the Meditation Zoom Room — link in bio!

Meet Jennifer Kenny, this week’s Community Spotlight.Jennifer has lived with type 1 diabetes for more than 30 years, but...
09/16/2026

Meet Jennifer Kenny, this week’s Community Spotlight.

Jennifer has lived with type 1 diabetes for more than 30 years, but it wasn’t until the last decade that she began finding meaningful connection with others who understood the experience firsthand.
“First, in a support group led by the wonderful Heather, and now in the Sangha. Both have made my life immeasurably better, and I’m filled with a deep well of gratitude.”

For Jennifer, meditating with DiabetesSangha offers more than community. It creates space to connect with herself, with others living with T1D, and with something beyond herself, bringing what she describes as a sense of “calm acceptance.”

Storytelling has become another way Jennifer creates connection. Writing under her middle name, Monique, she recently published CyrAnI, a novel featuring characters living with type 1 diabetes. She wanted to move beyond the limited portrayals of T1D she had seen in TV and film and instead weave the everyday realities of diabetes naturally into her characters’ lives.

CyrAnI is available through bookstores and as an e-book through Amazon, Kobo and Bookshop.org. A portion of sales will benefit Insulin for Life, which provides donated diabetes supplies to people around the world.

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your story and for being part of the DiabetesSangha community!

Today, we remember.The Pali word sati, often translated as mindfulness, also carries the meaning of remembering—to retur...
09/11/2026

Today, we remember.

The Pali word sati, often translated as mindfulness, also carries the meaning of remembering—to return, to recollect, to bring something back to heart and mind.

On September 11, we pause to remember the lives lost, the families and communities forever changed, and the courage and humanity that emerged in the midst of profound suffering.

May our remembering be more than looking back.

May it remind us of our shared humanity—and invite us to meet one another with greater kindness, understanding, and compassion.

Pause. Remember. Reflect.

💙 DiabetesSangha

Just 7 days left to register for Finding Ease Amidst Change, our upcoming DiabetesSangha retreat at Ananda Ashram in Mon...
09/08/2026

Just 7 days left to register for Finding Ease Amidst Change, our upcoming DiabetesSangha retreat at Ananda Ashram in Monroe, New York.

With only 4 spots remaining, this is the final week to join us for four days of meditation, reflection, community, and connection with others who understand the realities of living with Type 1 Diabetes.

From October 8–11, 2026, we’ll gather in a peaceful retreat setting to explore mindfulness practices that can help us meet change, uncertainty, and the ongoing demands of diabetes with greater awareness and compassion.

The weekend will include guided meditation, group reflection and discussion, time in nature, opportunities for quiet and rest, and space to connect more deeply with yourself and the T1D community. Whether you have an established meditation practice or are completely new to mindfulness, the retreat is designed to meet you where you are.

Thinking about joining us for the Diabetes Sangha Meditation Retreat this October?Join us for a virtual Retreat Open Hou...
08/30/2026

Thinking about joining us for the Diabetes Sangha Meditation Retreat this October?

Join us for a virtual Retreat Open House on September 2 at 7:30 PM ET in the Meditation Zoom Room. This is a chance to learn more about the retreat experience, hear what the weekend will include, meet members of the community, and bring any questions you may have before deciding if the retreat feels right for you.

This year’s retreat, Finding Ease Amidst Change, will take place October 8–11 at Ananda Ashram in Monroe, New York. Together, we’ll spend several days exploring meditation, reflection, connection, and ways of meeting change with a little more steadiness and ease.

Whether you’re already registered or simply curious to learn more, you’re warmly invited to join us on September 2!

Earlier this week, for our final Summer of Mindfulness prompt, we asked: What advice would you give to someone newly dia...
08/25/2026

Earlier this week, for our final Summer of Mindfulness prompt, we asked: What advice would you give to someone newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes?

Your responses reflected the kind of perspective that only comes with living it: give yourself grace, take things one day at a time, ask for help when you need it, and remember that diabetes may become part of your life, but it doesn’t have to define it.
As we wrap up our final prompt of the summer, we also want to say thank you to everyone who participated throughout this series. Week after week, you took the time to reflect, share honestly, and offer your experiences to this community. We’re so grateful for every response and conversation that came from these prompts.

We hope the things you’ve shared throughout the summer have helped others feel seen, understood, and a little less alone in life with T1D.

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Chicago Heights, IL
97060

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+16313291955

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